ON Saturday, August, 29 2016, the much-dreaded but well-envisaged showdown between the Nigerian Armed Forces and the various militant groups operating in our oil-rich Niger Delta region was formally launched by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buaratai, with military fanfare in Warri, Delta State.

The core mandate of the operation is to provide adequate security for the residents and the strategic national economic assets of the nation in the embattled region. When General Buratai paid a courtesy visit to the state Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, he stressed the need to keep our country and its people safe and ensure that its economy is protected from miscreants and malcontents bent on sabotaging and destroying critical infrastructure to prolong the economic woes the nation is experiencing.

Though the Federal Government has, for some time now, been making peaceful overtures to the recalcitrant militant groups, the most prominent of which is the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), it has decided to assert the might of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, at least to show that the peaceful overture aimed at addressing the openly-voiced concerns of the militants through dialogue and negotiation is not seen as a sign of weakness and helplessness.

We had , on several occasions, called on the militant groups to toe the path of peaceful resolution of their agitation, especially as the President Muhammadu Buhari regime had thrown open its doors for dialogue. Unfortunately, some of these groups continued to bomb and demolish oil facilities, sounding ever more defiant, proliferating and making demands that were sometimes quite unreasonable.

We had hoped that efforts on both sides towards a negotiated settlement, which brought leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the region to series of meetings among themselves and with the Presidency, would result in making the deployment of military personnel unnecessary. We still believe it is possible for this sabre-rattling on both sides to end uneventfully as we saw in 2008 when the militants accepted amnesty from the President Umaru Yar’ Adua regime in exchange for rehabilitation.

The armed forces must keep to their promise of conducting their operations within the rules of engagement, which guarantees the safety of innocent civilians and their property. We totally forbid the harassment and victimisation of innocent civilians, as this might escalate armed confrontations and defeat the core objectives of the operation. This is not a revenge mission, and it must not be allowed to result in acts of criminality by those sent to pursue criminals.

Meanwhile, efforts at dialogue must take on a more urgent note. Any peace agreement must not be abandoned as soon as calm returns to the region.

This will amount to merely postponing the evil day, yet again.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/operation-crocodile-smile-begins/

Ok

I will be glad if the NA can see this to the end without any form of molestation etc.

Good all the same

Photos from the medical /humanitarian wing of Operation Crocodile Smile.

It is not an invasion, but an intervention.

Lol I was looking for you on the operation crocodile tears thread. Where did you run to.The boys are still bombing

^Pa Chukwudi never fails to amaze, so you've finally crept out of your hole after hiding in shame because your almighty scAvengers capitulated in the face of Buratais forces?

Thank goodness some rag tag remnants are still bombing so there is increased impetus for the crocodile to continue shining its razor teeth. Anyone that thinks Buratai will simply pack up because some militants turned to creek chickens is cycling backwards. The croc is here to stay.

Now join your ball shrunk ijaw messiahs in their chorus of..."Dear Buhari!"

QuotaSystem:
^Pa Chukwudi never fails to amaze, so you've creeped out of your hole after hiding in shame because your almighty scAvengers capitulated in the face of Buratais forces?

Thank goodness some rag tag remnants are still bombing so there is increased impetus for the crocodile to continue shining its razor teeth. Anyone that thinks Buratai will simply pack up because some militants turned to creek chickens is cycling backwards. The croc is here to stay.

Now join your ball shrunk ijaw messiahs in their chorus of..."Dear Buhari!"

You should be ashamed the boys are still bombing even in the midst of all these operation crocodile

dear BUHARi,
while u lunched operation crocodile smile,some rag tag militia bomb yet another NPDC pipeline.pls sir,let d crocodile keep smiling until tompolo and asari are gunned down.GOD BLESS U SIR

Okay.

Buhari should take his soldiers off niger delta..and nobody needs his clinics..
He should go and negotiate ...
The sight of his troop won't go down well..

QuotaSystem:


Papa Chukwudi, anyone that thinks there would not be scattered bombings by mushroom groups seeking relevance is just being childish and unrealistic . You're an elderly man you should know that.

They're helping the cause, makes it easier to identify the criminals and minimise collateral damage on the innocents.

Now join me and your scAvengers as we sing "Dear Buhariii!"

Are you still talking of crocodiles?

Something is happening.

https://www.nairaland.com/3320762/nigerias-unity-negotiable-says-prof