Chief Of Army Staff, Attahiru
The Nigerian Army said it has carried out a clearance operation at Ntak Ikot Akpan, Essien Udim Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, to flush out hoodlums and criminal elements terrorising the area.
According to the Military, the criminal elements have attacked various security agencies, resulting in the loss of lives and carting away of weapons in the past few weeks.
The Nigerian Army said the state’s security situation has been very peaceful until recently when the security became tensed given hoodlums’ activities in Ntak Ikot.
Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, the Director of Army Public Relations, said the miscreants exploited various avenues to acquire weapons to perpetrate their heinous crimes.
General Yerima confirmed that the last incident led to the killing of some Policemen, including a CSP, adding that the hoodlums continued to terrorise law-abiding citizens through extortions and infringement on their rights.
He noted that a combined Military and Security Agencies team in the Akwa Ibom State conducted a clearance operation to flush out the miscreants.
However, Yerima opined that the operation was successfully executed and resulted in the criminals’ dislodgement while the Air Component neutralised fleeing hoodlums.
According to the Military official, normalcy has been restored in the area while the Police personnel have assumed complete control and regular duties.
The Nigerian Army urged residents of the area not to panic but to remain calm and continue to support the security agencies to further consolidate on the successes recorded so far.