Tension As Nigerian Army Storm Niger Delta For Operation Crocodile Smile II

Nigerian Army on Saturday announced the deployment of troops for the commencement of Operation Crocodile Smile II in the six Niger Delta states.

Maj.-Gen. Enobong Udoh, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, said this on Saturday while addressing troops.

He said: "Operation Crocodile Smile is not a show of force but a confidence-building patrol that seeks to reassure the people of Rivers state and the Niger Delta that the army is ready to work.

"We are ready to work in close synergy and collaboration with other security services and agencies of government to ensure that there is peace and security for the people.

"Our operation aims to reassure the public that we are ready to fight crimes like cultism, militancy, and kidnapping so that people can go about their business without fear," he said.

Udoh added that troops would carry out collaborative patrols with the Nigerian Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Immigration Service and the Department of State Security (DSS).

Others are Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, Nigerian Customs Service and personnel of the Nigerian Prison Service.

Udoh said the division would carry out the exercise slated from October 7 to October 28 in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states while another formation would cover other states in the Niger Delta.