The Nigerian Army has reiterated its readiness to provide the required security in Borno during and after the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.The Commander, 7 Division Garrison, Operation Hadin Kai, Brig.-Gen. Jafar Ibrahim, stated this while flagging off “Operation Show of Force,” yesterday in Maiduguri, Bornu state capital.Ibrahim said that the five-day exercise, which would be conducted in conjunction with other sister security agencies in the state, would help assure the residents of their readiness to ensure that the polls were free, fair and credible.

He said the exercise was aimed at instilling confidence in the electorate and to let them see the need to come out en masse to vote for candidates of their choice during the elections.

“This exercise is not something new. It is a tradition that usually happens every four years and the aim is to reassure the people that the elections will hold and that it will be peaceful in the state.

“It is against this background that the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, has mandated us to synergise with other security agencies to conduct this show of force between February 20 and 24.

According to him, the troops will be domesticated to their various units after the exercise.

“The preparation is not only from the inside; it started long ago from the deep penetration of the terrorists’ enclaves, which resulted in the successes that were recorded,” he said.

Ibrahim assured that the election would be held in every part of the 27 local government areas of the state.

“However, we have two local governments, Marte and Guzamala, where arrangements are being made for them to cast their votes in the local government headquarters and IDP camps due to security challenges,” he said.

THE NATION