Crocodile Smile: 23 Militants and 4 Soldiers lost their lives in Army/Militants shootout

In the course of its mili­tary exercise tagged ‘Op­eration Crocodile Smile’ in the Niger Delta, the Nige­rian Army has killed a total of 23 militants and recov­ered 55 assorted weapons from suspected criminals, according to the General Of­ficer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division, Enugu, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru.

The General told news­men in Enugu on Saturday that while soldiers moved to flush out criminals in the area, many other suspects fled with various degrees of injury.

He said 38 camps belong­ing to the militants and 91 illegal refineries, including bunkering sites and under­ground tunnels used by the suspects, were destroyed in the 10-day exercise.

“The precursor operations were followed by `Exercise Crocodile Smile’ proper, which was orchestrated and conducted with sequenc­ing and lines of operation to upgrade the skills, exper­tise and competence of the troops in land and riverside environments.

“Over 3,000 soldiers were deployed along two axis on land, creeks and the gen­eral littoral area of the Niger Delta region, while forward-operating bases were estab­lished from where opera­tions were conducted along the creeks and littoral area,’’ he said.

Attahiru, however, regret­ted that four soldiers died during the exercise, explain­ing that three lost their lives in a boat mishap while one died during a cross fire with the militants.

He said the exercise was also used to cement rela­tions with civilians through humanitarian services in neighbouring communities.

“Books, stationeries and generators were donated to some schools while others were given facelift and infra­structure improvement.

“The effects of these hu­manitarian programs were immediately felt in the peaceful and warmth re­lationship that existed be­tween troops and local com­munities throughout the exercise period”, he said.

The GOC said that col­laboration between the army and other security agencies, including the Navy and Air Force and Police, had re­mained “very emphatic”.

He further revealed that the recent voluntary hando­ver of arms and ammunition by militants and criminal elements in Imo and Riv­ers States had direct bearing with the exercise.

“By and large, the exercise was a huge success as those engaging in economic sabo­tage were stopped during the period, while a number of criminals, militants and eco­nomic saboteurs were also arrested,’’ he added.

The Operation was largely carried out in Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers as well as some states within the super­vision of 82 Division of the Army.