JANET NYAJON AUDU
The posting of Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa as the commander 6 Brigade Nigerian Army and Secror3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) in Taraba State has witnessed a downward trend of crime in the state.
This is as a result of commitment and dedication of his troops in the Brigade,and since the commander assumed duty, criminal activities as well as other offenses have been on the decrease.
One characteristics future of the Brigadier commander is his relationship with the media.
He keeps the Journalists in the state constantly abreast through the 6 Brigade Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Captain. Olubodunde Oni.
Our correspondent reports that Captain Oni has never failed to brief or issue press releases to the media about the activities of the 6 Brigade as the success stories of the 6 Brigade are all over national dailies and the electronic media on a daily or weekend basis.
Only recently, Captain Oni issued out a release that has to do with the visit of Brigade commander, Brigadier General Kinsey Uwa when he personally visited Karim-Lamido Local Government.
The Acting Assistant Relations Officer, stated that Brigadier General Uwa, the commander addressed his troops at Andami in Karim-Lamido LGA after a successful clearance operations targeting multiple bandits hide outs, including Komondoro, Ginarumbu, Chibi, Chikum, Bitrikilin, Mishigi Kirya, Jamaga, and Wagal villages.
According to him, during the operation, several abandoned bandit camps were discovered and subsequently destroyed to further crippling criminals activities in the area.
The 6 Brigade in her efforts to combat crime has also launched an operation which is ongoing in Taraba State with a code name as “Operation Lafiyan Jama, a” the Brigadier General, who was impressed with the efforts of his men, has commended the troops of the 6 Brigade for their unwavering commitment and Gallantry in the ongoing military operations.
The operations launched across 16 local government areas of Taraba State is aimed to dismantling bandit networks infiltrating the state from neighboring regions and ensuring they find no safe haven in Taraba.
Oni, further stated that the operation seek to restore peace, security and to enable residents to engage in farming activities without fear during both dry and rainy seasons.
Also, in a continued effort to sustain peace and security under the ongoing Operation Golden Peace of the 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army has achieved another significant success in curbing criminal activities within the state by intercepting rustle cattles and arresting three suspects in the state.
According to the PRO Oni said, the troops acted on credible intelligence regarding the movement of suspected rustled livestocks from Kempanin Zurak in Plateau state into Taraba State, they troops intercepted individuals identified as Sabiu Lawal, Haruna Ayuba and Yusuf Makawo, all from Kampain Zurak, and the suspecst were found in possession of 174 cows and 57 sheep’s believed to have been rustled from border villages between Plateau and Taraba State.
Our correspondent reports that the 6 Brigade is also combating human trafficking; the Brigadier stated that the 6 Brigade is alao committed to fighting human trafficking in the state.
The 6 Brigade Commander, reaffirmed the Brigade’s commitment to combining human trafficking and other crimes in Taraba State, when the Brigade played a host to the Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in person (NAPTIP) Mr. Amos Gambo Bako and his team when they visited Taraba State.
According to the Brigade’s PRO Oni, he stated that the visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration between both agencies in the fight against human trafficking within the state.
During the visit, Mr. Bako solicited the brigade’s support in intelligence sharing, security operations and public awareness campaigns to curb the menace.
He emphasised the need for synergy between NAPTIP and the Nigeria Army to ensure that human trafficking networks do not thrive in Taraba State.
In his response, the Commander 6 brigade commended the efforts of NAPTIP in combating human trafficking, and assured the agency of the brigade’s unwavering support and affirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to working closely with relevant security agencies to dismantle child trafficking syndicates and other criminal activities within the state.
Brigadier General Uwa, further stressed the importance of inter-agencies cooperation in addressing security challenges and pledged that 6 Brigade Nigeria Army would continue to support initiatives that will promote peace and security in Taraba State.
In recognition of the efforts of the 6 brigade in preventing crime in Taraba State, the General Officer commanding (GOC) 3 Division Nigerian Army and commander of operations SAFE HAVEN, Major General Folorusho Oyinlola, has commended the troops of the 6 Brigade Nigeria Army for their exceptional bravery and dedication in maintaining peace and security in Taraba State.
The troops received the encomium during the first operational visit to the brigade’s Area of Responsibility (AOR) , General Oyinlola showered encomium on the troops for their remarkable achievement.
He further, applauded the brigade’s outstanding performance and expressed confidence in leadership of Brigadier General Uwa acknowledging his relentless efforts to ensure the safety of Taraba State residents.
The GOC also addressed the troops commending their hard work and dedication which according to him has contributed to the relative peace enjoyed in the state and encouraged them to keep it up to maintain the Statusco.
During the visit, the commander displayed a Cache of arms and ammunitions recovered from various operations conducted by the brigade over the year, as well as surveillance equipment procured to enhance intelligence-gathering efforts.
Our correspondence reports that the GOC paid a courtesy call on the Executive Governor of Taraba State, His Excellency Dr. Agbu Kefas at the TY Danjuma House Jalingo, he thanked the governor and people of Taraba State for their unwavering support to the Nigerian Army.
He disclosed that his visit was aimed at assessing the operational readiness of the troops following his recent assumption of the command; the GOC reiterated the military commitment to reducing insecurity in the state to the barest minimum to enable the citizens to carry out their daily activities without fear of intimidation.
The governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas congratulated General Oyinlola on his appointment and expressed confidence in his ability to enhance security within the 3 Division Area of Responsibility.
He praised the leadership of the 6 Brigade for fostering a strong working relationship with the state government and other security agencies, which has contributed to the safety of lives and property across Taraba State.
The governor also assured the GOC of the state government continues support and collaboration.
Speaking to our correspondence, in an interview, Mr Aliyu Christopher, a father of 6 in Gulum area of Jalingo metropolis, said: “Gulum is the headquarters of kidnappers in Jalingo, everybody in Taraba knows about the case of Gulum, there’s no single day these people don’t kidnap, in fact, if not every day, or every houses, almost every houses in Gulum was attacked or visited by kidnappers, we don’t sleep with two of our eyes closed, at times they will visit and kidnapped in a particular house more than two times, Gulum used to be their hide out, they were so comfortable with Gulum area maybe because of the mountain’s that surrounded the area, but now the story have changed for good.
“I remember one of my neighbour, who was kidnapped 2 times, has to relocate to a different place, in fact, a lots of people sold their houses at a giveaway prices and those who did not get buyers abandoned their own and fled away for their safety, but we thank God, the story have changed.
“We sincerely appreciate the troops of 6 brigade for doing their work thoroughly, they have neutralised those wicked men and our areas are free from crime especially kidnapping cases have drastically reduced, we are very happy and we say Kudos to the 6 Brigade for a job well done, indeed, they’re operation whilst strock (OPWS)”, he said
Our correspondent reports that Taraba State is relatively peaceful and the residents are happy and busy doing their normal activities without any fear of kidnapping.