Army Commander urges JTF to be civil, professional

The Commander of Onitsha Military Cantonment in Anambra, Col. Mohammed Bello, has urged officers and men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) to be civil and professional while discharging election duties.

Bello spoke on Thursday, March 26, shortly after JTF conducted a “Show-of-Force and Route-March” on major roads, streets and strategic locations in the state.

He said that the exercise was aimed at building the confidence and cooperation of the civil populace to ensure a free, fair and credible election.

“Well, we have to assure the general populace that it is purely a routine pre-emptive measure(s) that we are taking to ensure that we don’t have problems before, during and after the elections.

“Well, as you are all aware, we have been carrying out joint route-marches in the past.

“And this has seriously assisted security forces to ensure that they cover areas, black spots and flash points so as to deter undesirable elements from perpetrating violence.

“We have deployed enough men and other assets of the army, navy, police, SSS (State Security Services), NDLEA (National Drug Law Enforcement Agency), road safety and other agencies too.

“So, we have adequate manpower and vehicles and other things too that will complement a safe security coverage of the state during the elections,’’ Bello assured.