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Tag: military

  • Military plans new security measures for Niger Delta

    •Civilian JTF, ex-militants to join operations, says CDS

    The Federal Government and the military have planned new security measures to protect Niger Delta, following the outcome of the dialogue to end hostilities in the region.

    The government is said to be considering the integration of the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) and former militants in the new JTF, Operation Delta Safe (ODS), as well as establishing new brigades.

    The Minister of Defence, Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (retd), and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin spoke in Bayelsa State on the government’s plans to end hostility in the region when they toured ODS units.

    Dan-Ali said the government was planning to establish the local JTF, following the feat a similar outfit achieved in the war against Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast.

    Dan-Ali and Olonisakin were accompanied by ODS Commander Rear Admiral Joseph Okogie; component heads of ODS; Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Central Naval Command (CNC), Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba and the Air Force Commanding Mobility Command.

    Speaking in Yenagoa, the state capital, the minister said the government was considering involving locals and other stakeholders in the region, including the governors, in the new security architecture to replicate the civilian JTF in the Northeast.

    He said: “I come here to see how we can improve their logistics. You may recall that during our last meeting with the Vice-President, where all the governors from Southsouth and Southeast attended. It was agreed that whatever security arrangement we would have must involve people within the general area.

    “I am here to enforce the decision whereby all the governors and the locals in the general area will be accommodated in the security architecture. We have such arrangement in the Northeast where we have local JTF and they were of tremendous assistance to our Armed Forces, especially when in intelligence gathering.

    “This is one of the cardinal arrangements, and that is why I said I should come and have a pure assessment of how we could imbibe them in this new security architecture of the new operation called Operation Delta Safe.”

    During a visit to Governor Seriake Dickson, who was represented by his deputy, John Jonah, the minister urged the state to help the Federal Government to identify some illegal websites used by some people to spread falsehood against the military.

    Dan-Ali said: “We are also of the opinion that you will help us in identifying some of the illegal websites that are used for rumour mongering and painting our Armed Forces in bad light; painting them in the activities that we thought should not be.

    “We are also of the opinion that it is necessary to get some of these Amnesty students, who have graduated, involved in the security architecture. They are being paid and we are thinking of the way they can be useful to us, instead of just paying them.

    “We are also of the opinion that we should be having constant rotation of our security personnel to give us better understanding of how some of them will not be engaged in illegal activities. This is because if they overstay, they also get accustomed and get involved in some illegal activities. We are also thinking of establishing special brigades.”

    The minister, who had closed meetings with component commanders of ODS at the Yenagoa headquarters of the outfit, said the unity of Nigeria was not negotiable.

    He urged all to key into government’s efforts to unite the country.

    Dan-Ali said: “I wish to add that keeping Nigeria is a task involving all of us. Right from the Civil War, our Armed Forces have been doing their best in keeping the nation united.

    “We are asking for your continuous support for what we could call the unification of the nation. We need to know that if Africa is united, it is stronger.”

    The minister said the Federal Government was in dialogue with stakeholders to end the economic sabotage in Niger Delta.

    Though he did not say who the government was talking with, Dan-Ali said the government would use force, in case dialogue fails.

    He said: “This is one of the cardinal points that brought us here – to look for peace. But we are also preparing, in case the peace and negotiations are not favourable. We are also, on our own side, making all the arrangement so that there will be peace in Niger Delta. We cannot rule out force.

    “We have started the dialogue. We remember that the negotiation started after our meeting with the Vice-President and Southsouth governors. This is one of the reasons I am here. I came to see what is available on the ground and the operational capability of the Armed Forces within the zone.”

    On plans to avoid collateral damage, in case the military decides to use force, Dan-Ali said: “We are not saying we are going to war. We are doing an internal security work; this is not a war.

    “So, you cannot be talking about collateral damage. We know our rules of engagement. We cannot use just force like that without any mandate. Collateral damage should not come in. As far as we are concerned, we are just trying to stop criminality in this general area.”

  • Military prepares new post-dialogue security measures for Niger Delta

    The Federal Government and the military have mapped out new security measures to protect the Niger Delta region despite the outcome of the ongoing dialogue to end hostilities in the region.

    In the new arrangement, the government is considering the integrations of the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) and ex-militants in the operations of the new JTF, Operation Delta Safe (ODS) as well as establishing new brigades in region.

    The Minister of Defence, Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (retd) and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, dropped the hints in Bayelsa State when they toured various components of ODS in the state.

    Dan-Ali said the government was planning to establish the local JTF following the feats a similar outfit achieved in the war against the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.

    Dan-Ali and Olonisakin were accompanied by the Commander, ODS, Rear Admiral Joseph Okogie, component heads of ODS; Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Central Naval Command (CNC), Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba, and the Air Force Commanding Mobility Command.

    Speaking in Yenagoa, the state capital, the minister confirmed that the government was considering involving the locals and other stakeholders in the region including the governors in the new security architecture to replicate the civilian JTF in the North-East.

    He said: “I come here to see how we can improve their logistics. You may recall that during our last meeting with the Vice-President where all the governors from Southsouth and east attended, it was agreed that whatever security arrangement that we will have must involve people within the general area.

    “I am here to enforce the decision whereby all the governors and locals in the general area will be accommodated in the security architecture. We have such arrangement in the North-East where we have local JTF and they were of tremendous assistance to our armed forces especially when it comes to gathering of intelligence.

    “This is one of the cardinal arrangements and that is why I said I should come and have a pure assessment of how we could imbibe them in this new security architecture of this new operation called Operation Delta Safe”.

    While paying a courtesy visit to the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, who was represented by his deputy, John Jonah, he asked the state to help the federal government identify some illegal websites used by some persons to spread unfounded allegations against the military.

    He said: “We are also of the opinion that you will help us in identifying some of the illegal websites that are used for rumour mongering and painting our armed forces in bad light; painting them in the activities that we thought should not be.

    “We are also of the opinion of getting some of these amnesty students that have graduated involved in the security architecture. They are being paid and we are thinking of the way they can be useful to us instead of just paying them.

    “We are also of the opinion that we should be having constant rotation of our security personnel to give us better understanding of how some of them will not be engaged in these illegal activities because if they overstay, they also get accustomed and get involved in some of these illegal activities. We also thinking of establishing special brigades”.

  • Why we deployed Air Force to dislodge Arepo vandals — Military

    Why we deployed Air Force to dislodge Arepo vandals — Military

    The military has defended its decision to dislodge vandals and militants operation at Arepo with Air Force strikes, saying it was due to the inaccessibility of the swampy hideouts of the criminals.

    It said the joint operation involving the Army, Police, State Security Service (SSS) and Civil Defence engaged the Air Force to capture wider latitude of the vandals’ shanties and nab suspected operatives.

    The military swung into action last Thursday following a directive of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to smoke out criminals operating in the entirety of Arepo and its extensions to parts of Lagos.

    The Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai, addressing the media, said the obnoxious development of kidnapping, robbery attacks and vandalism, which has overtime saturated the area, prompted military strikes.

    He said the force was yet to put a figure to the number of casualties recorded in its first strike action as it was yet to wholly penetrate the creeks.

    According to him, the military was fully braced up with well-wrought strategies to demolish their base.

    He said: “We have commenced an ongoing operation around Arepo.

    “We are all very familiar with the ugly situation that have been developing around Arepo, ranging from pipeline vandalism to kidnapping, armed robbery, and so on.

    “Just last month, we got directive from the Chief of Defence Staff that we should carry out an operation to the general area of Arepo, with a view to dismantling vandals’ shanties scattered around Arepo, Ibafo, Ishawo.

    “Initially, we were directed not to use air power, but when we carried out assessment of the operation area, a lot of them had moved from areas accessible by water and land to areas that are very swampy, into the mangroves of the area.

    “We had to get back to the CDS that the best way we can take out these targets is by the use of air power, and the CDS granted us permission to do a general re-assessment and employ attack helicopters to take out those targets.

    “We had to use air power because of the nature of the terrain.”

    He explained that an assessment of the target area revealed that oil bunkering operation was ongoing at full fledge.

    The military vowed to bring to book the sponsors of the act and thwart the extant market they supply.

    “Yesterday, we initiated the operation and we were able to knock off some targets, then a surveillance aircraft went up to do the after battle surveillance for us.

    “We were able to interpret the video clip, and we could see that after the first attack, they came out from where they were hiding with guns.

    We could see one of their canoes which they mounted a GPMG on it. The interpretation is that all that is happening there is deliberate and well planned since they could arm themselves to that magnitude.

    “It is our wish that at the end of this operation, we would find a means to go into the place to comb that general area.

    “We anticipated that some of them will run away and the only two ways they could leave that place is either by land or water.

    “The land component: the army, the police, Civil defence have identified some get-away routes.

    “The get-away routes by water, the naval forces have blocked them. We have also employed the SSS.

    “On the other hand, we have blocked escape routes towards Ogun State.

    “The essence of having blockages on land is that when they are running out, we would be able to grab them, profile them, investigate them and trace their sponsors.

    “Being in business means that they have a market. We want to identify that market. We are going to sustain this operation and see where it would take us.

    Bobai noted that the two states involved, Lagos and Ogun states, have been adequately informed of the operation, adding that residents had no cause to panic.

    “We are in touch with Ogun and Lagos state governments because the general operation area lies between the states,” he said.

  • Military intensifies patrol across Lagos

    The military yesterday began intensified patrol of Computer Village, Ikeja and other strategic areas in Lagos.

    This may not be unconnected with militants threat to bomb some areas of the state before or during the Sallah break. It was learnt that armed soldiers were drafted from 9 Brigade to Computer Village following the statement of the Department of State Service (DSS) that some people have been arrested over the plot to bomb the place.

    Men of the Operation MESA and the anti-terrorism squad were seen patrolling other parts of the state.

    The Nation gathered that operatives of the Operation AWATSE have also been directed to intensify their surveillance of Ikorodu, Arepo as well as Shagamu to prevent hoodlums from wreaking havoc.

    Lagos State Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni summoned an emergency meeting following intelligence report of an attempt to bomb Lagos. The outcome of the meeting which was allegedly attended by military chiefs in the state necessitated the increased security presence.

    When contacted, the Brigade’s spokesperson Major Oyegoke Gbadamosi said the soldiers were simply carrying out routine patrol.

    “It is not that they have taken over Computer Village or any area. We have just intensified patrol across the state and computer village is under our area of responsibility and so, we cannot allow anything happen there,” he said.

  • Military pensioners set for nationwide protest

    •Govt accused of discrepancy in pensions

    Military pensioners are planning a nationwide strike against the Federal Government for its alleged failure to meet its pension obligation to pensioners.

    The protest, the military pensioners said, would climax on July 13 at the Aso Rock gate in Abuja at 9 a.m.

    Speaking with our reporter in Enugu, the protest coordinator, Col. Azubuike Nass (retd), said: “We continue to demand our pension rights. We have paid our dues in patriotic service to this nation. We deserve our pension rights when we are alive, not when we are dead.

    “This nation is not too poor to pay our constitutional pensions. We cannot be intimidated into silence on this matter.

    “We (military pensioners) are yet to see any clear sign of being paid part of our pension arrears. Information at our disposal indicates that parts of the arrears were collated by government in September 2015 and included in the 2016 budget draft. Thirty-three per cent arrears, which is government-accepted and computed sum, with official circular to relevant Federal Government offices dealing with pension issues, was understood to be in the budget.”

    Nass queried: “Were our arrears a victim of bureaucratic falsification and mutilation that occurred in Budget 2016? Was it cut down or expunged by the National Assembly in its ‘scrutinisation’? Or, is it covered in a different sub-head yet to be clarified?”

    The military pensioners were sceptical that “Mr President is most likely unaware of the true situation,” adding: “We need to do something to bring the issue to Mr President’s attention.”

    Insisting that 53 per cent pay increase for pensioners was duly approved by the Federal Government in 2010, following similar public service pay increase of 2009 and in accordance with the provisions of Section 173 of the Constitution.

    They regretted that government resisted to pay it for years.

  • Military to rehabilitate ‘repentant’ Boko Haram fighters

    The Director of Defence Information, Defence Headquarters, Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, on Thursday said  the military will rehabilitate repentant Boko Haram members through its “Operations Safe Corridor.”

    Abubarka stated this at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

    He said the operation was to rehabilitate, reintegrate, empower and de-radicalise surrendered members of the sect.

    He said,“Nigeria being a signatory to United Nations conventions must comply fully with that portion of the convention.

    “Even if you arrest or capture an enemy or prisoner of war, by international law, you are to treat him with all human dignity. You must do that, as long as you are a signatory to UN convention.

    “We evolved a policy by the defence headquarter and that operation is called operation ‘Safe Corridor’.

    “Operation safe corridor is an operation trying to rehabilitate, reintegrate, empower and de-radicalise those that surrendered and those captured.

    “It is not in any way amnesty. We are trying to comply fully with international best global practices and that is why we came up with that.

    “`The Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin with other service chiefs agreed to this and they came up with it, which is the first of its kind since the Boko Haram terror began.

    “And very soon, we will have a camp somewhere in the Northeast where they will be kept for empowering and reintegrating and de-radicalising them.’’

     

  • Tension as Army Council retires 35 officers

    Tension as Army Council retires 35 officers

    •Purge likely in Air Force, Navy too
    •Allegations against sacked officers overwhelming—Army
    •Sacked officers can go to court

    The military career of at least 35 senior army officers came to an abrupt end yesterday after the authorities laid them off for their alleged involvement in the $2.1billion arms procurement deal, and ‘unprofessional’ conduct during the 2015 elections.

    The affected officers are said to be in the ranks of Major General, Brigadier General, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel and a Major.

    Their names were not announced, neither was the number of those fired given officially confirmed.

    The development may have sparked tension in the force, it was gathered last night.

    Army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman who broke the news of the retirement merely said: “The Nigerian Army wishes to inform the general public that quite a number of senior officers of the Nigerian Army were retired from service yesterday (Friday).

    “Those retired were mainly some Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels and a Major.

    “Their retirement was based on service exigencies. It should be recalled that not too long ago some officers were investigated for being partisan during the 2015 General Elections.

    “Similarly, the investigation by the Presidential Committee investigating Defence Contracts revealed a lot.

    “Some officers have already been arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). People should therefore not read this out of context.

    “The military must remain apolitical and professional at all times. We must applaud and support this laudable and bold initiative by the government.”

    However, an informed source put the number of the affected officers at over 32.

    It was also gathered that a similar purge is likely soon in the Air Force, the Navy and other security agencies.

    All the affected army officers were served their retirement letters on Friday before the formal public announcement yesterday.

    The decision to keep the names of the affected officers secret is said to be part of the effort to douse the tension generated by the retirement.

    A top military source, who is familiar with the situation, said the retirement was predicated on the following reasons:

    • Involvement in partisan politics during the 2014/15 elections;
    • Incontrovertible evidence of romance with politicians in gross violation of the code of conduct of the military;
    • Inordinate ambition to be Chief of Army Staff (COAS) or General Officer Commanding (GOC) leading to lobbying of politicians or being used by politicians;
    • Outright fraud by some of senior officers including abuse of procurement process;
    • Involvement in arms deal scandal; and
    • Gross acts of indiscipline.

    The source added: “Before we got to this retirement stage, a Commission of Inquiry was raised by the Nigerian Army. There were many petitions against these officers which the Army Council asked the Commission of Inquiry to look into.

    “The commission found all these officers guilty of one infraction or the other.

    “The recommendation of the commission was that it was not good for these officers to continue to remain in the system. To retain them is to pollute the service which is a professional calling.

    “Overwhelmed by the findings against them, they were given the option of retiring quietly. Some of them retired on their own but some waited to be asked to go.

    “If the Army releases the findings of the Commission of Inquiry to the public, Nigerians will be shocked. You should however appreciate that this is not the first time the Army will carry out this type of cleansing. In 1999 when ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo came to power, military officers allegedly implicated in politics and partisanship were retired. This retirement was done in the interest of the system.”

    The source dismissed allegation of ethnic bias in the retirement.

    “There was no ethnic motive. The retirement affected Northern and Southern officers. The list cuts across ethnic and religious groups. There is no Northern or Southern agenda at all,” he said.

    “We know some people will read meanings into the retirement but we have sufficient evidence to back up our decision.

    “It is a good development that we are in a democracy. These retired officers can go to court and the evidence against them will be laid bare for the public to know why the Army asked them to go.”

    The source also hinted that other services may also retire some of their officers.

    The source added: “Other services will carry out a similar exercise. The Army just started the initiative.”

    Asked to be specific on the actual figure of those retired, the highly-placed military source said: “They are not up to 50 but they are over 32. We have read about figures being bandied about like 100, 120 and even 100. I don’t think it is up to 50.

    “A newspaper even bandied some names which were far off the track.”

    When the names of some officers alleged to have affected were read to the source, he shook his head and replied: “I won’t tell you Yes or No. You have to be careful.”

    Another source, a Brigadier General, said: “The Army Council was careful in screening the list of those retired. So, those you think were retired are not likely to be there.

    “We have many officers who got involved in one thing or the other in line of duty. Such practises fell short of official conduct or expectations.

    “In deference to their service to the Army, these officers were individually served their letters of retirement. No signal has been released to Army formations as I speak with you.

    “The Army hierarchy has its own style of conducting its activities within certain ethical prism.”

    Some officers were reading ethnic bias into the retirement yesterday.

    An officer who cannot be named said the retired officers were removed because ‘some northern interests’ perceived them as a threat to their agenda.

    “But I tell you that this is very political and wicked. It’s like a payback of what happened to some political officers mostly of northern region,” he said, and claimed that some of the retired officers committed no offence to warrant their lay off.

    He charged:”What did they do? Which EFCC or arms panel called them for questioning? In the army there is a provision for dealing with misconduct.

    “Orderly room trial or a court martial. Which of the procedures was followed? Was there a fair hearing? Any evidence on their alleged offences? I believe you can investigate and get the answers yourself. Find out.”

    Several officers were accused of taking sides during the 2014 governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States in particular.

    They were said to have held meetings with senior government officials of the day for the purpose of manipulating the result of the poll in favour of the then ruling PDP.

    Captain Sagir Koli, in mind-boggling details, revealed how army officers got entangled in the manipulation process.

    He said 1006 soldiers were deployed in Ekiti as part of a Special Task Force for the Ekiti election alone.

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State was physically prevented from flying out of Benin to attend a campaign rally for the APC candidate in the Ekiti election, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    The then governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi was similarly stopped by soldiers at the boundary of Ondo and Ekiti states from Proceeding  to Ado Ekiti for the same rally.

    The army authorities in October last year set up a Board of Inquiry (BoI) to “investigate among other things alleged malpractices and involvement of its personnel in Ekiti and Osun governorship elections in 2014.”

    The BoI, the army added was to “investigate the alleged unethical conduct of some army personnel in Ekiti and Osun States’ Gubernatorial Elections 2014, as well as in any other state of Nigeria where other allegations of misconduct were made during the 2015 general elections.

    “As part of its terms of reference, the BoI is to also review the involvement of the Nigerian Army formations/units and their personnel in elections and other duties in aid to civil authority.”

    Besides, the army had last year handed over 12 of its officers to the EFCC for further investigation after an internal probe had indicted them for allegedly diverting funds earmarked for arms purchase to fight Boko Haram.

    Usman said at the time that the indicted officers comprised three serving Major-Generals, one retired Major-General, three Brigadier-Generals, four Colonels and a Lieutenant Colonel.

    The Nation also reliably gathered that some of the affected officers may have attracted the army’s wrath for making ‘positive’ comments in the arms deal files.

    It was gathered that investigations by the Presidential Committee investigating Defence Contracts showed that certain officers failed to give dispassionate advice in respect of the arms procurement deals.

    Major-General Emmanuel Atewe, Guards Brigade Commander under former President Goodluck Jonathan, was on June 3, 2016 arraigned alongside former Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi, Kime Engozu and Josphine Otuaga before Justice Saliu Saidu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi on an 11 count charge bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said they have a case to answer over alleged fraud of N8.5billion.

    Former chief of defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, his predecessor in office as Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar, and National Security Adviser (NSA) in the last dispensation, Colonel Sambo Dasuki are already facing trial for various corruption-related offences.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has attributed failure to curb Boko Haram until not to corruption, and blamed those involved for the deaths of an unknown number of civilians and troops in the uprising that has killed more than 20,000 in six years.

  • Delta community, military trade words over ‘looted’ N370m property, cash

    Residents of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri Southwest Local Government Area of Delta State and the military have traded accusations over alleged looting of the communities’ property and cash estimated at N370 million.

    The residents accused security operatives who participated in recent military operations in their communities of stealing property and cash.

    They said the military personnel robbed Oporoza, the kingdom’s headquarters, of property estimated at N300 million and N70 million cash.

    But the Army described the accusation as unbelievable and lacking in logic.

    The Armed Forces recently carried out a cordon-and-search operation in some communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, following renewed attacks on oil and gas facilities in the area.

    In a statement by the Chairman of Kokodiagbene community, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, Gbaramatu residents claimed that property estimated at N300 million were looted from homes in Oporoza and N70 million cash stolen from the king’s palace by the security personnel on the mission.

    The community’s spokesman urged the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to investigate, recover and return the allegedly looted property and cash to the communities.

    He said Army’s failure to do so might force the kingdom to take a legal action against the Armed Forces.

    Mulade said: “It’s worthy to stated that the Army looted valuable goods worth over N300,000,000 and about N70,000,000 cash meant for the completion of the Pere’s palace. We are appealing to the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Burutai, to probe his men and recover the looted items from the palace and other residents and kindly return them to the law-abiding citizens of Oporoza.

    “We believe the Army has the capacity to thoroughly investigate and bring the looters to book for the image of Army… As law-abiding citizens, we have no option than to institute a suit against the authority to recover our items, if the authority fails.

    “According to the Joint Task Force (JTF), the operation Cordon and Search was aimed at unmasking the militants and vandals. The authority has failed to arrest and parade any of the Avengers. Rather, it has been parading innocent youths in the Niger Delta to cover up its failures. They continue to perpetrate the heinous crimes by destroying our environment and causing untold hardship.”

    But spokesman of the 4 Brigade of the Army in Benin, the Edo State capital, Captain Jonah Unuakhalu, noted that the allegations were unfounded.

    He expressed surprise at the claims, wondering how soldiers on such operation, within the limited time could cart away property worth N300 million on gunboats.

    Unuakhalu said: “I don’t believe that any such thing happened. But my own is that first I’m in Benin, not in Warri. So, maybe I’ll have to put a call through to know what went down there. However, I just believe all these are fictions because you said property worth N300 million. How would they have moved such? “Let’s both look at it. How did they move it? This is a creek we are talking about and these people move in gunboats. How would they have moved property worth N300 million? I don’t know if you are getting my simple analogy.

    “I read in one of the papers that five of the people we paraded the other time are Senior Secondary School (SSS) 2 pupils. I mean: why do people just come out with stories that do not make any sense?

    “Let’s be realistic: N300 million worth of property? Haba! They even claimed military personnel were raping women. These are all stories coming out of their imaginations just to give the Army a bad name. They are just being funny and economical with the truth.”

  • Military denies alleged harassment in Delta community

    Military denies alleged harassment in Delta community

    The Navy high command has said allegations of harassment and victimisation of Ijaw communities in Delta State by military personnel on patrol operations in Gbaramatu creeks is a fabrication and propaganda.

    Navy’s Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) the Central Naval Command (CNC), Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba, addressed reporters at the base of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta in Warri.

    He said no fewer than 12 suspects had been arrested in various operations in recent times, five of whom were held for alleged insurgency.

    Garba, who was in company of the Commander of the NNS Delta, Commodore Raimi Mohammed and the Base Operations Officer of the base, Commander Shehu Tasiu, said the current operations in some Niger Delta states were being carried out by the combined units of the Armed Forces.

    He said the Air Force, Navy and the Army were working together for the operations.

    Garba said: “On the reports that military personnel on patrols in the creeks have been harassing the communities, I will tell you that it is not true. You know that most people who are criminals, enemies of the state, will always want to use propaganda and sometimes the press. But I am happy that you are trying to verify this with us.

    “These people were arrested in connection with the explosion of the pipeline at Batan and investigations are still ongoing, profiling the names before we can make it public. Once investigations have been completed, we assure you that we will make it public for you to know the result.

    “Suffice it to say that with the ongoing arrests by the command, the enemy of the state would be deterred. Despite the command’s operations against sea robbery, Niger Delta Avengers and other criminals, the Central Naval Command, is still very much engaged in its fight against crude oil theft and other illegal oil activities.

    “It is pertinent to state that in this effort, the last seven days have witnessed the arrest of five suspects in connection with attacks on pipelines: one for the killing of two soldiers on May 10 at Batan and one for extortion. Seven Cotonou boats, five other suspects and 490 metric tonnes (MT) of illegally refined diesel (have been seized)…”

     “I will like to assure the peace-loving people within the Central Naval Command that the command will continue to protect life and property, at the same time ensure the freedom of the seas for economic activities to thrive.

    “All these, which you are seeing, are for us to make sure that we achieve the mandate of the Armed Forces, as enshrined in the Constitution.”

  • Military to flush out economic saboteurs

    Military to flush out economic saboteurs

    The Defence Headquarters said yesterday troops will not relent in their push to flush out economic saboteurs in the Niger Delta.

    In a statement in Abuja, Defence spokesman Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar said: “The military will not jettison the confidence reposed in it by the good citizens of our great nation in ensuring that peace and security prevail in our land.”

    He added: “The military is not unmindful of the campaign of calumny against our soldiers by paid agents claiming that soldiers are harassing the public while performing their constitutional responsibility. It is pertinent to state that it is the same group of people that are wreaking havoc on critical national assets that are blackmailing the Armed Forces and other security agencies to divert attention.

    “Our job is to secure infrastructural facilities and property of innocent citizens as well as containing the activities of criminal. The blackmail by sponsored persons would not deter the military from been focused and committed in its effort to fish out the vandals as the whole world is seeing what the so called Militants are criminally doing in the attacks of oil pipelines.

    “The security measure put in place is not meant to intimidate any innocent individuals but to bring normalcy to our land. We urge the communities and well meaning Nigerians to cooperate with the security agencies in their bid to apprehend the perpetrators. The military would respond decisively in a professional manner at appropriate time.”