The Nigerian Army says the gunmen terrorising residents of the South- East region are hiding under the cloak of Biafra agitation to unleash killings, kidnappings and other criminalites.
The new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Major General Umar Musa, spoke on Friday when he visited Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State at the Government House, Awka.
General Musa took over from Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, who is now the GOC, 1 Mechanised Division, Kaduna.
The new GOC 82 Division, whose Area Of Responsibility (AOR) also covers Anambra State, alongside Abia, Enugu, Imo and Ebonyi, visited to inform the Governor of his assumption of duty
According to a statement by Governor Soludo’s Spokesperson, Christian Aburime, General Musa explained that he will work with the State Governors in the South East region to ensure the safety of lives and property.
He commended Soludo for his assistance to the security agencies in their battle against gunmen operating in the State.
The GOC said the Nigerian Army was aware of the security situation in the South East and promised to partner with the Governor and other Governors in the region to fight the situation.
General Musa said: “We discovered that Anambra and Imo (States) are volatile and that gives us serious concern. The issue of (Biafra) agitation is there, but people capitalise on it to commit crime.”
Musa said he has devoted two months of his stay in the Division studying the insecurity in the South East to fashion out ways of tackling it.
“Cases of attacks pose new challenges. I assure you of the total commitment of the Nigerian army,” he added.
The GOC said drug abuse was a major contributor to the incidence of crime in the country.
