The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Major General Godwin Umelo, who made the explanation, said a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria residing in Lagos and Ogun have nothing to fear, especially as the exercise is part of the force’s routine training exercise.

He said that because Lagos has been the epicentre of these heinous crimes, the force had in collaboration of other security agencies worked assiduously during the yuletide season to ensure a crime-free celebration

General Umelo said the exercise apart from working to rid the society of criminals and ensure a crime-free celebration, it also affords the force an opportunity to train its personnel on internal security operations and how to combat security challenges inherent in their areas of operation.

He said: ‘In line with Nigerian Army constitutional mandate to provide aid to civil authority, the conduct of interactive workshop of this sort is necessary to provide the platform for the exchange of opinions and ideas and improve overall synergy during joint operations.’

He explained that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, strategic directives for 2020, which is to sustain professionalism and responsiveness of the Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles, have remained that driving concept of the division’s activity with regards to operations and training.

The GOC said that the workshop is one of such endeavours expected to ensure civil-military cooperation within the division’s area of operational responsibility.

The theme of the workshop he said is Cyberattack as an emerging security threat in Nigeria. The role of the Armed Forces and other security agencies was carefully selected taking cognizance of the country’s current security challenges.

He said the violent manifestation of the #EndSARS protest and the political use of the cyberspace has made the security atmosphere complicated and unpredictable adding that the platform should be an avenue for brainstorming on the likely eventualities that may constrain security stakeholders in coming months.