HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP HAILS PYTHON DANCE 3

Admin l Wednesday, October 03, 2018

LAGOS, Nigeria – A human rights group, Human Rights and Crime Monitoring Watch has expressed it’s support for operation Python Dance, an annual military action in the South East geo-political zone of the country.

The group stated in a news conference, in Port Harcourt, yesterday, that the success of the previous exercises have contributed positively in reducing separatist agitation, armed robbery, kidnapping, banditry, human trafficking and other crimes in the South East and South South. Executive Director of the group, Werigblegha Zinake, pointed out that the first two exercises also known as Egwu Eke 1 and 2, were largely successful even though “members of the separatists group deployed propaganda to create a contrary impression in the public domain.”

The group observed: “The duration of the exercise saw the entire South East witnessing fewer crimes, while the South East based separatists were unable to prevent people from going about their legitimate businesses.”

“There were attempts by the separatists elements, mostly of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, and it’s affiliates to sabotage the exercise propaganda intended to incite the populace against the Nigerian army which failed because the army largely improved on its operation coordination and civil military operations within the period.”

The group noted: “The propaganda deployed by IPOB, including claims that the troops were extorting motorists failed to dent the integrity of army personnel who had earlier been charged to adhere to the highest level of professionalism and the observance of the rules of engagement.”

“The preponderance of reactions in the zone is for the army to not only sustain the exercise on annual basis but to explore the possibility of increasing its frequency because of the latent threat posed by separatists and other criminal elements due to the economic viability of the region.”

The group suggested that the Nigerian army should based on its previous successes consider the possibility of holding Operation Python Dance twice annually “given the tendency of criminal elements to explore the intervening months between the operations to regroup and torment the people before the its next edition.”

“The federal government should collaborate with the Nigerian army to assemble a legal team the will prove to the court that the the suit instituted against the conduct of the exercise is self-serving, instituted by criminal elements and do not represent the reality of the situation on ground”, the group added.