JUST-IN: Army Launches Operation “Hakorin Damisa” To End Insecurity In Plateau

• More than 300 persons had been killed in Mangu LGA
• Chief of Army Staff addresses troops during Operation Hakorin Damisa

Operation Hakorin Damisa IV, also known as “Leopard’s Teeth,” is a code-named military operation that the Nigerian Army has begun in Plateau state.

To put an end to the recent wave of attacks and killings in the state, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, started an operation on Saturday.

Following a string of gunman attacks over the past two months, more than 300 people have died in Plateau state.

Major General Lagbaja stated that the Nigerian Army was dedicated to bringing peace to the state while speaking at the beginning of the operation in Mangu Local Government Area.

Recall that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had been urged by the House of Representatives to declare a national emergency in Plateau State as a result of ongoing terrorist assaults.

The House made the call on July 11, 2023, following a motion of urgent public importance on the need for urgent intervention in the killings in some local government areas in the state.

The motion was moved by Dachung Bagos, a member of the House representing Jos South/North Federal Constituency.

Bagos said that the recent attacks on the communities had resulted in the killing of over 300 individuals, significant injuries to others, the destruction of property, and the displacement of nearly 18,000 people.

He also raised concern about the ongoing attacks by terrorist groups in the state, claiming that if not addressed soon, it would result in low agricultural produce.

The House further requested that Operation Safe Haven should identify and evacuate all cells used by bandits in the state.

The House mandated the Committees on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Defence, Army, Air Force, Police, and Legislative Compliance (when created) to oversee compliance and report monthly until the situation was brought under control.

The House also requested that security personnel should give aerial observation and assistance in capturing the terrorists and destroying their camps in order to prevent attacks and allow innocent farmers to return to their lands and ancestral homes.