Give Us Free Hand To Wipe Out Terrorists – Army To Governors

• The Nigerian Army has ruled out amnesty for bandits terrorizing the country’s North West region
• The army has urged governors to give troops free rein to eliminate all criminal elements
• The army chief said that the issue of amnesty had created an avenue for bandits to regroup and re-organize

The Nigerian Army has ruled out amnesty for bandits terrorising the country’s North West region, asking governors for free rein to eliminate terrorists.

The army warned the criminals to leave the country immediately, saying they would be closely monitored and barred from entering other parts of the country if they attempted to flee to the northwest.

Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff, stated this at Army Headquarters in Abuja while hosting Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, and urged governors to give troops free rein to eliminate all criminal elements.

Your Excellency, I think we need to look at this amnesty programme. The criminal elements have proven to be incorrigible. So, the issue of amnesty has created avenue for them to be regroup and re-organise and launch attacks, Lagbaja said.

The army chief’s revelation comes on the heels of the state’s former governor, Sani Yerima, calling for bandits to be granted amnesty.

He requested that President Bola Tinubu negotiate with terror gangs operating in Zamfara State and other parts of the country’s Northwest.

Yerima said the negotiation he was advocating was similar to what former President Umar Yar’Adua’s administration did with militants in the Niger Delta, which gave birth to the amnesty programme.

Nigerian Army arrests fake soldier inside bank

One Desmond Okeh has been apprehended for posing as a Lance Corporal in the Army.

Okeh, an indigene of Anambra State, was arrested by the Nigerian Army at a bank in Port Harcourt.

The Spokesman of Nigeria Army 6 Division, Port Harcourt, Lt.-Col. Ikedichi Iweha made this known while parading the fake soldier before newsmen in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

Okeh’s arrest followed an intelligence report about his activities at a new generation bank located in the Government Reserve Area of the city, Iweha disclosed.

He said;

Desmond Okeh was arrested on July 6 at a new generation bank fully dressed in the number six military camouflage and in possession of a fake military identification card.

The suspect was wearing the rank of Lance Corporal in Army camouflage with a fake duty number: 16N/75/2038 on his forged military identification card.

The suspected impostor also had in his possession a fake pass leaflet at the time of his arrest.

Iweha also urged members of the public to be wary of the antics of criminals who present themselves as military officers to swindle them of their hard-earned money and property.