Python Dance II finally ends in South-East

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division Nigerian Army Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar represented the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General TY Buratai to formally declare the end of  Exercise EGWU EKE 11.

The ceremony, according to a statement by Sagir Musa,  Colonel, Deputy Director Public Relations, 82 Division, took place in Sector 1 Tactical Headquarters at  Umuahia, Abia State at about 1900 to 2000 hours on Saturday 14 October 2017, with the traditional activation of camp fire to formally signify the successful completion of the Exercise.

General Abubakar commended all the officers, soldiers and personnel of paramilitary organizations that collaborated and synergized, worked tirelessly and commendably throughout the one month period of the Exercise.

He remarked further that the achievements recorded during the Exercise in the areas of attainment of the mission’s specific training objectives, improvement in peace and security, curtailing the menace of violent irredentist groups in the theatre of the Exercise(South Eastern part of Nigeria) is remarkable.

On the part of the Government and good people of Abia State, the representative of the Governor of Abia State Engineer Emmanuel Nwabuko expressed appreciation of the government and people of the State for the numerous achievements of Exercise EGWU EKE 11 in terms of improvement of peace, security and stability of the State.

He remarked further that the collaborative relationship with the Nigerian Army can be traced  to the time when in 2010 – 2011 kidnappers, armed robbers and other hoodlums paralyzed economic and social activities in the State. It was the army that rescued us. So, we are ready to always leverage on this relationship whenever the need arises.

In attendance were the representative of the Chief of Training and Operations, Army Headquarters, Brigadier General Ndalolo, Defence Headquarters Observer Team led by Commodore Shammah, the Security Adviser to Abia State Governor, Captain (rtd) Idonsi Awa and the Commanders of 14 and 34 Brigades, Brigadier Generals AK Ibrahim and IH Bature. Others were the Commanders of 44 Engineer Brigade, 82 Division Garrison, and Supply and Transport, Brigadier Generals Mark Mamman, LA Adegboye and EA Anaryu respectively.

One interesting aspect of the camp fire was the disposition of troops who surged, formed a ring and girated round the fire, shouting/praising the Chief of Army Staff and the GOC for providing them the necessary logistics to successfully conduct one of the successful military Exercise in the history of Nigerian Army Exercises.