A special taskforce maintaining law and order in Plateau State and parts of Bauchi State, ‘Operation Safe Haven’, have been equipped with motorcycles to boost their effectiveness.
They troops’ fight against insurgents, gather intelligence and check other crimes in their areas of operation.
At a ceremony held at one of the operational bases to hand over the motorcycles to the troops, commander of the taskforce, Major General Rogers Nicholas, warned troops against indiscriminate use of the motorcycles.
He stressed that it must be used for official purpose, reminding them that it was procured to enhance their access to difficult terrain that are not accessible by vehicles and to make their assignment easier.
The different operational bases of Operation Safe Haven got motorcycles for troops also referred to as Motorcycles Battalion.
Part of the ceremony was the parading of some suspects for several offences ranging from armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms and drug peddling among others.
Major General Nicholas said that the troops were already on continuous clearance operation to get rid of all the criminals.
“These are the people that are used by bigger time criminals to commit more havoc. We are trying to make sure that wherever we have information about criminals, concerning arms and ammunition, we will go after them,” he told reporters.
With the introduction of the Motorcycle Battalion in fighting crime, troops are now equipped to have easy entrance to places that are difficult to access in carrying out their operations and gathering relevant intelligence on criminal elements within the society.
