Yoruba youths drum support for Operation Crocodile Smile

Hundreds of youths of south-west extraction on Thursday, staged a peaceful rally to endorse the current military operation tagged “Operation Crocodile Smile” in the South-West.

The group under the aegis of Progressive Yoruba Youth Congress (PYYC), tagged the peaceful rally, “Peace, Unity and Security”, stating that the rally is to endorse the measures of the operation which they say would rid the region of criminal elements.

The youths marched from Ojota Seven up to the popular Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Lagos singing and dancing as they carried placards expressing their support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s measures in securing lives and properties of the people of southwest.

Some of the placards read: “Southwestern Nigeria fully supports Mr. President’s Security Measures”; “Yoruba Youth Welcome Operation Crocodile Smile”; “Unity, Peace and Security, our concern”; President Muhammed Buhari, thanks for protecting us against enemies of state”.

Addressing newsmen, the National President of the group, Desmond Abiona, said evidence has shown that the exercise has resulted in lesser crimes in other regions where similar operation was carried out.

According to him, the operation would reduce all manners of criminality in the southwest especially the one being perpetrated by the Badoo Cult.

“We therefore declare our readiness to cooperate with the Nigerian Army and its sister security agencies to help President Muhammadu Buhari protect us all.

“As we welcome the Operation Crocodile contingent to the southwest, we use this opportunity to declare our support for the exercise while assuring that the ill feelings and hostility exhibited against it in the South East would not be the case in our homeland.

“This is because we recognise that anyone that puts on the uniform of the Nigerian Army is already making great sacrifices for the country and must be encouraged to keep giving their best.

“Hence, like Oliver Twist, we are constrained to ask for more. Similar exercises conducted by the Nigerian Army in other jurisdictions have reportedly resulted in lesser crime rate because soldiers used their capacity building exercise to flush out criminals in this area.

“Our belief is that we would not be asking for too much by presenting the leadership of the Nigerian Army with a shopping list of issues we think soldiers can use Operation Crocodile Smile to deal with for our people.”

Vanguardngr