The Nigerian Army has announced its plan to commence its annual military exercise tagged Operation Crocodile Smile nationwide, a move that is likely to be interpreted as a subtle intimidation of #EndSARS protesters across the country.
According to a press release by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, the exercise which is traditionally conducted in the last quarter of the year, will hold this year from October 20 to December 31.
He said this year’s exercise, Crocodile Smile VI, is deliberately intended to be all encompassing to include cyber warfare exercises designed to identify, track and counter negative propaganda in the social media and across the cyberspace.
The inclusion of cyber warfare in the exercise is surely going to unsettle millions of youths who had to rely on the internet, particularly Twitter for the coordination of their activities.
He said: “This is the first ever Cyberwarfare exercise to be conducted in the history of the African Armed Forces. Accordingly, the exercise will also include positive identification component aimed at identifying Boko Haram terrorists fleeing from the North East and other parts of the country as a result of the ongoing operations in the various theatres of operations especially in the Northeast, North Central and North Western parts of Nigeria. “
Col. Musa said: “The Nigerian Army, once again, reassures all well-meaning Nigerians of its commitment to the sustenance of peace and security in Nigeria and urges members of the public for their support and understanding throughout the period of the exercise.”
