The Nigerian Army says it is set to start its annual exercise “Crocodile Smile” to identify, track and “counter negative propaganda” in the social media and across the cyberspace.
The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa, made the announcement in a statement on Saturday.
According to him, this year’s edition of Exercise Crocodile Smile which is the sixth is scheduled to commence from October 20 to December 31, 2020.
Colonel Musa stressed that the exercise was deliberately intended to be all-encompassing to include cyber warfare operations.
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The cyber warfare operation, he stated, was designed to identify, track, and counter negative propaganda on social media and across cyberspace.
“This is the first-ever cyber warfare 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.”the statement read.
“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.”
The exercise is coming at a time when young persons are out on the streets in major cities across the country calling not just an end to police brutality but a total reform of the police and good governance, among other demands.
