Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai

The Defence Headquarters, Abuja, on Monday said troops on various internal security operations across the country were complying with the social distancing directive to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The military noted that the authorities would not suspend any of the ongoing internal security operations because troops had been trained to be on the alert and to keep a healthy distance.

The Coordinator of the Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, stated these in Abuja, while briefing newsmen on the military’s response to coronavirus.

He said the various operations – Safe Haven, Whirl Stroke, Lafiya Dole, Delta Safe, Safe Corridor, Hadarin Daji — would continue despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The coordinator said, “The military cannot suspend its operations in the country, because operations are not conducted in enclosures. Operations are conducted in the open and naturally, even if we are going for encounters, we don’t fight in one enclosure.

“Even when we burst camps, we maintain the distancing by our training. It is nothing close to one metre at all. Secondly, as the pandemic came up, we have sent to our units, barracks and theatres of operation on how to go about the precautionary measures. That and other sensitisations have been done.

“Signals have been sent out and our medical outfits are also on top of any situation. Four of our military hospitals have been put on standby and they are part of the facilities to support the Federal Ministry of Health. They are the Nigerian Air Force Hospital on Airport Road, Abuja; the Kaduna Reference Hospital, Port Harcourt, Military Hospital and Lagos Military Hospital. We have these four with the ability to quarantine and eventually treat.

“Also, if there is going to be a lockdown, we have the resources to ensure that the lockdown is effective if it comes up.”