Olu Samuel

The Commander, 12 Brigade Nigeria Army Brigadier General Kasim Umar-Sidi has given assurance that the Army would continue to do it’s best in ensuring that bandits terrorizing Kogi State are dealt with , to enable the people of the state live peacefully.

Brigadier General Umar-Sidi stated this on Tuesday while addressing the executive members of the Correspondents Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kogi State Council during a courtesy call on him in his office.

While urging Nigerians to support security agencies to enable them perform their statutory obligation, the Commander noted that branding Nigeria as a disgraced nation and a country of concern as a result of the security challenges facing the country is not encouraging to the gallant soldiers staking their lives to defend the country.

“Our officers and men are being killed in the sacrifice we make to keep this nation safe for the citizens. Any negative perception or report against our men or the military in general, dampens their morale .

“Therefore, people should not put issues on the prism of religion, which can not help us move forward as a nation, ” he stated.

Brigadier Umar-Sidi who is the fifth Commander of the 12 Brigade also advised Nigerians that “Whenever there a challenges, we should, as a people, put heads together to see how best we can solve them for the growth and development of the country.

“Nigeria is for all of us and we don’t have another country we can call our own therefore we should put this nation first above any personal interest so that this challenge of insecurity can be tackled”

He commended the Correspondents’ EXCO for the courtesy visit and pledged the command’s readiness to partner with the chapel toward the dissemination of the 12 Brigade Nigeria Army’s activities to the general public.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Chapel, Comrade Segun Ademola Salami of the Channels Television , told the Commander that the EXCO was in his office to solicit for partnership toward publicising the efforts being made in securing the people of Kogi state.

Salami said that the military, especially the 12 brigade command, was doing a lot in Kogi in the area of dealing with kidnappers, bandits, and terrorists but such good strides are under reported.

“I want to assure you that the Correspondents Chapel is very ready to partner with you and give the command the desired publicity,” he stated.

The 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army,Lokoja has been at the forefront it the war against terrorists and bandits in the state in recent times.

Some success stories recorded recently include the last week’s rescue of 20 out of the 30 INEC staff travelling for the continuous voters registration exercise.

Also on the 2nd November,Troops of 12 Brigade Nigerian Army deployed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Oguma successfully rescued two kidnapped victims and recovered the ransom money meant for their release.