Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, joined the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, alongside other Service Chiefs and heads of security agencies, at the official launch of the Joint Task Force North Central Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD (JTF NC OPSS) at the 22 Brigade, Sobi Military Cantonment, Ilorin, Kwara State.
The intelligence-driven operation is aimed at decisively dismantling terrorist networks, kidnapping syndicates and other criminal elements threatening Kwara State and adjoining areas of Niger State, with a focus on dominating forested enclaves and ungoverned spaces previously exploited by criminals.
Speaking at the event, the CDS described the operation as a deliberate and robust offensive to consolidate security gains, protect lives and property and secure critical agricultural corridors, while warning that criminal elements would no longer find safe haven within the theatre of operations.
In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, pledged unflinching support for the operation, commending the swift federal response and expressing confidence that the deployment would restore public confidence, reinforce peace and enhance food security across the state.
The high-profile ceremony, attended by senior military officers, traditional rulers and key stakeholders, highlighting a unified national resolve to decisively confront terrorism and criminality in the North Central region.