The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Niger-Delta

  • Niger Delta professionals hail Heritage Bank’s management

    Niger Delta professionals hail Heritage Bank’s management

    A group, Niger Delta Professionals in Banking and Financial Sector (NDPBFC), has alerted customers, critical stakeholders and the public to an alleged plot to use the media, particularly the social media platform, to tarnish the reputation of Heritage Bank.

    They said Heritage was among the nation’s fastest growing banks.

    The group, which boasts seasoned bankers and financial analysts, said it traced the anger of the traducers of the bank to the refusal of its management team to allow insider or other unwholesome dealings.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja on Saturday, NDPBFC, which is led by Mr. Joshua Amachre, insisted that Heritage remained one of the healthiest banks in Nigeria with its strength rooted in what it called the “tough, disciplined and incorruptible” management team, led by Mr. Ifie Sekibo.

    Amachre said: “We have noticed that all sorts of things are now being planted in the media, particularly the social media platform, against Heritage Bank. We are not surprised at all. In fact, we expected this to happen a long time ago. The truth is that Heritage Bank is contending with some powerful persons and their associates who are seemingly opposed to the astronomical growth of the bank.”

  • Thank God Jonathan lost 2015 election Niger Delta leader

    Thank God Jonathan lost 2015 election Niger Delta leader

    In the face of the growing criticisms against the present administration’s handling of the economy, the  Chairman of the Niger Delta Nationalities Forum in Lagos, Mr. Seigha Manager, has given the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government a pat in the back. He said  the president is doing his best in spite of the fact that things are terribly hard.

    In a chat with The Nation, Manager noted that if Jonathan had won the election in 2015, he would have been in a big mess with the current oil price. “I doubt if he will not be stoned by Nigerians and even Niger Deltans if the economy could be as bad as it is now. If he had won he would not have left as a great leader that he is today. So, I thank God that he lost the election and it is Buhari that is presently in office and those who believe in him are still hopeful,” he said.

    Manager also lauded Federal Government’s decision to dialogue with leaders of Niger Delta region saying: “The dialogue is extremely necessary and even overdue. President Buhari is right in dialoguing with the leaders but for not doing this since 2015, I feel very strongly that he is overwhelmed by the undue pressure and misinformation from either his party or overzealous folks, otherwise as a former head of state, and a former Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) chairman, he should be the most qualified, most guided and most experienced leader to handle the Niger Delta crisis with utmost care.

    To bring about lasting peace in the Niger Delta region, Manager said: “The president should look into the issue of amnesty programme and give it everything he can. He should bring in more restive youths into it and pay them their stipend as and when due. Although we talk of the infrastructural development and all sorts of development in Niger Delta, the one that is immediate and can affect the lives of the youth is the amnesty, which is the only successful interventionist programme in Niger Delta. The president should ensure that they are not only trained but counselled at the end of the amnesty programme to be able to fit into the civil society.

    “As for other interventionist agencies like the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Niger Delta Ministry, the president should make up his mind either to fund them properly or scrap them completely. If he is unable for whatever reason to fund the agencies properly, he should scrap them rather than create the impression that there are so many interventionist agencies in the region and that the government has done so much for them even when they are not properly funded.”

    Aside from the amnesty programme, Manager also asked the Federal Government to take another look at allocation of oil blocks. “The allocation of oil blocs and wells to Nigerians without recourse to the Niger Delta people is another issue. The richest woman in Nigeria cum Africa is from the southwest and her source of wealth is oil. The richest man in Nigeria cum Africa is from the northwest and his wealth is largely tied to oil exploit.

    “Oil bloc allocation is the prerogative of the president of Nigeria at any point in time and when he allocates, until such allocation is changed by law, it remains so. We are grateful to the late General Sani Abacha, who created Bayelsa State and allocated oil blocs to three deserving Nigeria citizens from the Southeast, Northeast and South-south (Niger Delta).

    “These three oil blocs are OPL 244, OPL 245 and OPL 246. OPL 245 was allocated to a Niger Delta citizen and the only one I know to be so. While the other two have enjoyed peace and tranquility in the hands of their owners, that of  the Niger Delta citizen, OPL 245, is akin to a bird standing on a tiny rope. Neither the bird nor the rope has seen peace till date.

    “It is the only oil bloc that every passing regime has poked into simply because the allottee is a Niger Deltan. It is the only oil bloc that has been allocated, cancelled, later returned to the allottee and then is under probe at any given time. All of this is happening because the allottee is from the Niger Delta, yet the owner does not fall in the bracket of rich persons in Nigeria not to talk of Africa. There are other issues like that.”

    He further said: “Recall that Senator Ita Enang once stated on the floor of the Senate how about 85 percent of oil blocs are allocated to northerners and others to the exclusion of Niger Deltans. I am not aware if that situation has changed. Yet, it is the only oil bloc allocated to a Niger Deltan that has become a source of dispute and sought after by others. That is the height of injustice against the Niger Delta people. This is not only wicked but also evil and shameful. President Buhari as a man of integrity must intervene in this matter.

    “These are the things that bring restiveness to the Niger Delta. Therefore, I am appealing to Mr. President and even the National Assembly members, whom we know that as at today, have constituted committees again and again to probe this particular oil bloc, to please sympathise with us in the Niger Delta and allow us to have some peace. Let the Niger Deltan who owns the oil bloc own it for good, while the president looks into other issues. But, in all of this, we are watching the role of our legislators.

  • The Niger Delta story will change for the better, says Ndoma-Egba

    The Niger Delta story will change for the better, says Ndoma-Egba

    The new chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba from Cross River State told reporters soon after his inauguration that the story of the Niger Delta will change for the better under the new administration. NICHOLAS KALU was there. Excerpts:

    What are your plans towards revamping the  NDDC  as quickly as possible so that it can achieve the developmental goals for which it was set up?

    First of all, we would need to carry out a number of audits. An audit of our systems, audit of our processes, audit of our projects and audit of our personnel so that we can have a true picture of not only the governance systems but also a true picture of our obligations.

    Secondly, we have to develop a master plan. There was a master plan that was drawn up before. It was a 15-year plan. It is more than 10 years after the plan was drawn up, so it is either we do a new plan or we revalidate the old one. But there has to be a master plan that would govern planning for the region.

    Part of the problems has been that the NDDC is budgeted for on a year-by-year basis. It would not work. We have to have a long-term plan to say this is what we want to see out of the Niger Delta and then you use the yearly budget to achieve that ultimate goal. Those are some of the things we intend to set out to do.

    Uncompleted projects would be captured in the project audit because a project audit would determine the number of projects you have, the nature of the projects and the status of each project.

    The projects that you need to get off your books, you find a convenient way of getting them off the books, because we need to clean up the books. Right now, NDDC has over 9, 000 contracts and that is an unwieldy number. No matter the capacity of an organisation, I doubt if you have capacity to properly execute 9, 000 contracts. Some of those contracts are moribund, some are dead and some are non-existent. So, you need to really investigate and find out the status of each and every one of them and then you clean up the books and then begin to deal with the realistic ones.

     

    Funding of NDDC is a known problem. Apart from the budget from the Federal Government, there are companies and organisations to contribute to the running of the NDDC. How are you going to deal with this given that most have lost faith in the commission?

    Well, funding would be an issue, but one of the greatest impediments to funding is the lack of transparency. When people don’t see a transparent process in an organisation, they will hold back their money. So, we have to re-engage the stakeholders by making sure our systems and processes are transparent.

    What people see now is a very opaque environment and that would not encourage them to put in their money. So, you have to open up the system, make sure that there is due process in everything you do and then re-establish the confidence of the stakeholders. Under the act establishing the NDDC, for instance, there are some committees and organs that should operate. There is an advisory committee made up of the governors of the NDDC states. But I don’t know when last that organ met. Why do you need the advisory board? You need the advisory board because the member states are contributors to the finances of the project. So, they must be part of the planning.

    They must be part of the budgeting process. They should have input into what kind of projects the commission should or not carry out in their states.

    Recently, I was told in Rivers State or so, the NDDC said it did some projects and the state government is saying no, you did not do the project. We did the project. So, we don’t even know who did what.

     

    Youth restiveness, militancy and vandalism are affecting the economy and people are expecting that your board would definitely address all that. What is your comment on this?

    First of all, we need to engage with the youth. We need to engage with all the stakeholders. If a group believes that it was part of a process, a decision-making process, they will feel a sense of ownership of the process and the outcomes. But when a group is not part of that process, it sees the process and the outcomes as being strange to them, because they are detached.

    So, there is no ownership. The important thing going forward in the Niger Delta is that every stakeholder must feel a sense of ownership. They must be a part of the process. If the youth are part of the process, I believe they will begin to own the process and it would begin to douse militancy. It won’t stop it because what would eventually stop militancy is development; the kind of development that would create an economy that would make them productive.

    So, until we get to that point, we would still have some restiveness. But you cannot have development in an atmosphere of militancy and chaos.

     

    People’s expectations are high from the NDDC. What advice do you have for the people of Niger Delta?

    The people should expect a new story. It would be a new story of commitment, single-minded focus and determination to make a change in the region. It is only the Niger Deltans that can change the Niger Delta and we have this historic opportunity to do so. The choice to succeed or fail is ours to make, and I would rather choose to succeed than to fail. I would do everything to make that difference.

  • Why Buhari shouldn’t dialogue with Niger Delta militants, by Nembe chief

    Why Buhari shouldn’t dialogue with Niger Delta militants, by Nembe chief

    A community leader and social commentator, Chief Wilfred Ogbotobo, has said that a group of militants who has the penchant for wanton destruction of national assets, especially oil installations in the Niger Delta region, does not deserve a dialogue with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He advocated military action as the best approach to flush out the criminals from the creeks and quell the unrest in the region.

    According to him, criminals should not be pampered and any dialogue with militants amounts to treating criminality with kid gloves.

    He said: “With the weighty challenges confronting the country at the moment, the Buhari administration does not have the luxury of time and resources for hopeless, hypocritical frolics with every lunatic group that springs from the creeks and other parts of the Niger Delta.

    “Instead, the Federal Government should consolidate the successes so far recorded and expand the overall capacity of the Operation Crocodile Smile to restore law and order in the region. This, he said, will enable the government to fast track significant development without delay.

    “Dialogue, especially with the same Ijaw actors, elders and leaders is akin to bathing a pig. The late President Yar’adua had broad and extensive consultations and dialogues with the same syndicates of Ijaw and other regional actors, elders and leaders before the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) was fashioned and implemented with its fraudulent Amnesty Fund which the syndicates hijacked in order to side-track the basic concerns of the downtrodden.

    “The cardinal thrust of the PAP, among others, is to confront the major issues of the Niger Delta, including restiveness, especially among the youth. The PAP successfully offered the syndicates hundreds of billions of Naira to share.

    “If another condemnable resurgence is to be pampered and dignified with a presidential dialogue, then, it only confirms that the Yar’adua’s PAP was a sham.”

    He described the amnesty programme as an exercise in futility, saying that Ijaw leaders are blinded by free cash and have been unable to chart a path of development for the region.

    Chief Ogbotobo reels off many interventionist agencies which people from the region mismanaged for their selfish interests.

    “Currently, it has become a miserable exercise in futility, to fathom how many more dialogues are required, for the Ijaws to make a decision on what they want and the manner they want progress in their territories.

    “Niger Deltans, especially Ijaws, have had extraordinary and absolute powers to manage federal interventionist agencies such as the defunct Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI) and much later the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) which had master plans and blueprints on which the same set of elders and leaders had enough dialogues and made more than enough inputs for the development of the region.

    “The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) came later, with its own master plans and roadmap for the development of Niger Delta, that included robust regional contributions and participations spearheaded by the same elders and leaders.

    “The same cabal participated and contributed in the conferences that succeeded in increasing the derivation revenue for oil-producing states to 13 per cent”, he said.

    He recalled that Nigeria overwhelmingly supported Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to become the President with the expectation to change the mind-set of the people of the region by developing the Niger Delta. He lamented that Jonathan squandered the rare opportunity of the region and surrendered the wealth that was supposed to accrue to the Niger Delta to hawks.

    “The Ijaws, and by extension, the Niger Delta region, had the opportunity to produce a President who was given an unprecedented pan-Nigerian goodwill and support.

    “Nigerians virtually surrendered Nigeria to Goodluck Jonathan and Niger Deltans. While he called the shots, notable Ijaw people such as Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark assumed extraordinary and all-powerful statuses.

    For six years, they called the shots and possessed statutory powers to grapple with the critical socio-economic challenges that face the region and its downtrodden masses.

    “Therefore, there is neither any novel idea nor rational demand that warrants this latest act of ignorance and immaturity being peddled by the Ijaw in the Niger Delta region. We have had enough dialogue and do not need any for now.

    “Despite the severe economic realities plaguing the nation, he has continued with the Presidential Amnesty Programme fashioned by the cabal to short-change the development of the the region,” he said.

  • Group faults Niger Delta leaders’ 16-point demand

    Group faults Niger Delta leaders’ 16-point demand

     

    Niger Delta Youth Association (NDYA), has faulted the 16-point demand handed to President Muhammadu Buhari by leaders of Niger Delta, known as ‘Pan-Niger Delta Forum, (PNDEF) on the way forward in resolving the crisis in the oil -rich region.

    This was contained in a seven-point communiqué issued in Akwa Ibom State after an emergency conference of the body during which it took a critical assessment of the ’16 Point Demand’ earlier presented to the Presidency.

    In the communiqué, the President, Comrade Victor James, Vice President, Comrade Ibiso Harry and other executives of NYDA, regretted that the leaders could not give priority to the Niger Delta Coastal Road Project which they said would improve the economic life of the people of the region.

    Harry who read the communiqué for the group also pointed out that the delegation ought to have expanded the request for the granting of oil and gas blocks to cover communities of the entire Niger Delta other than giving few individuals the blocks.

    The group while commending the contingent for their courage, tasked the presidency to ensure sincerity in dealing with the issues of Niger Delta.

    The communiqué read in part: “We endorsed some of the ’16 Points Demands’, ranging from the Maritime University at Okrenkoko in Delta State, to the restructuring of the Amnesty Programme, the opening up of Warri, Calabar and Port Harcourt Ports as international Ports, the cleaning up of the entire Niger Delta wherever pollution is found.

    “PNDEF should have made the ‘Niger Delta Coastal Road Project’ one of its basic demands and as clear as possible without ambiguity because it is strategically positioned along the region’s vast coastline and an economically viable project which will attract serious foreign investments to the Niger Delta in terms of real estate and tourism.

    “Some demands like the federal government’s granting of oil and gas blocks should rather be expanded to cover communities of the entire Niger Delta as simply giving a few individuals from the Niger Delta oil and gas blocks will not create the wealth need to move the region forward.

    “The reason is because our region is suffering from institutional and systemic poverty, therefore, clusters of communities within all ethnic nationalities should be granted oil and gas blocks as doing so will create wealth which the people are starved and which prevents the people from enhancing their potentials.

    “What the Niger Delta needs is sincerity from this present administration particularly when it cannot be argued that the current resurgence of violence and insurgency resulting in the bombing of oil and gas facilities is occasioned by the current administration’s approach to issues relating to the Niger Delta Region and Its People.”

  • Security challenges in Niger Delta over soon – Kachikwu

    Security challenges in Niger Delta over soon – Kachikwu

    The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has assured Nigerians that the security challenges in the Niger Delta will soon be resolved.

    Kachikwu gave the assurance in Abuja on Friday in a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mr Idang Alibi.

    The minister, according to the statement, observed that three attacks had taken place in the last two weeks, including Wednesday’s Forcados bombing, in spite of efforts being made to promote peace in the region.

    Kachikwu said he was saddened that in spite of months of intensive personal and collective efforts to engage all stakeholders in the region and the recent successful meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, these attacks had continued.

    “I condemn these wanton attacks and reiterate that the path to providing lasting solutions to  the Niger Delta challenges remains dialogue,’’  the statement quoted the minister as  saying.

    He appealed to all stakeholders in the region to embrace peace and dialogue and shun acts that further create difficulties for the country as well as impoverish and worsen the ecological problems of the region.

    The minister urged the militants to stop all acts of aggression and give the ongoing dialogue a chance to birth peace in the region.

    He said though distraught, all ministers from the region would continue to work under the president’s mandate to get a complete stakeholder buy-in to the solution programme of the administration.

  • Troops intensify operations to flush out N’Delta militants

    Troops have been massively deployed in the creeks of the Niger Delta region to hunt down militants disturbing the peace of the region and bombing oil installations despite ongoing dialogue.

    It was gathered that the deployment was made by the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe (ODS), following concerns that militants were still attacking oil pipelines in spite of peace talks between stakeholders of the region and the Federal Government.

    The troops, it was learnt, were asked to identify and dismantle all the active militant camps used as operational bases by the hoodlums.

    They were also directed to patrol the creeks, monitor vessels on the waterways and conduct stop-and-search operations on suspicious speedboats.

    At one of the creeks identified as Sand-Sand Fishing Camp in Nembe, it was gathered that the troops came in contact with unrepentant members of a militant group who were making efforts to activate a dismantled militant camp.

    A source from the ODS who spoke in confidence said the militants were trying to reactivate the camp to use it as a satellite base to constantly attack oil facilities located at the Nembe-Brass waterways.

    He said the troops after gathering enough intelligence burst the camp and in the process confronted the militants in gun battle.

    “It was not an easy operation because the militants were armed to the teeth. But we overpowered them and killed one of their leaders, popularly known as Edoboy. We are still pursuing others who fled into the creeks”, he said.

    The source further added that most of the fleeing militants were fond of running into communities to make the operations of the troops difficult.

    “They run into the communities whenever they are being pursued and mix up making it difficult to identify them. The communities are always afraid to identify them and most times, these hoodlums use them to make statements accusing JTF of violating their human rights.

    “We are very professional and will not engage in any action or conduct that will drag the name of the military in the mud”, he said.

    But the indigenes of the Sand-Sand community claimed that the troops invaded their community under the guise of looking for militants.

    They accused the military of destroying scores of houses, churches and schools during the incident.

    One of the indigenes, Chief Dede Francis, claimed that residents deserted the community alleging that displaced persons were suffering in bushes and neighbouring communities.

    “We tried talking to them but it was futile. After hours of intimidation, they told us that some suspected members of the Niger Delta Avengers were chased into our community. They claimed there were exchanges of gun fire with their personnel by the suspected Avengers from the community.

    “The invasion and search however left buildings, schools and churches destroyed‎. Only a school building was left standing. We are shocked. The so-called Avengers did not enter our community”, he said.

    But the Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre (JMCC) of the ODS, Lt. Col. Olaolu Dauda, faulted the claims of Francis describing it as a big lie.

    He said the true position of the operation at the Sand-Sand community, had been widely reported by the media.

    He added that militants and persons, who were making bloody capital from the activities of hoodlums, were behind the claims that troops invaded the community and destroyed houses and churches.

    Referring to a statement earlier issued on the operation by ODS, Olaolu said: “Troops of Sector 2, Bayelsa State, in conjunction with Special Forces conducted patrols at Sand-sand Fishing Camp and uncovered attempts by militants to reactivate an earlier-destroyed camp.

    “The troops engaged the suspected militants and killed one of them popularly called ‘Edoboy’.

    He was one of the notorious kinpins on the wanted list of security agencies who had been terrorizing innocent members of the communities in the area”.

    Also,a Nembe Chief, Wilfred Ogbotobo, asked the ODS to do everything professionally possible to flush out militants from the Niger Delta creeks.

    According to him criminals should not be pampered and any dialogue with militants amount to treating a full-blown criminality with kid gloves.

    He said: “With the quantum of weighty challenges confronting the nation at the moment, the Buhari administration does not have the luxury of time and resources for hopeless, hypocritical frolics with every lunatic group that springs from the creeks and other parts of the Niger Delta.

    “Instead, the federal government should consolidate the successes so far recorded and expand the overall capacity of the Operation Crocodile Smile to restore law and order in the region, for the government to fast track meaningful developmental measures immediately”.

     

  • ‘How to correct injustice in Niger Delta’

    Rivers State Government has said despite the difficulties oil exploration has brought to host communities, peace is most fundamental towards correcting the situation.

    The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Environment, Mr. Emmanuel Oye, who canvassed this position also said: “It is unfortunate that we have been hit from both sides-the communities, government and the companies.”

    Oye, who spoke in Port Harcourt to declare open a conference organised by Gas Alert for Sustainable Initiative (GASIN) for six communities in Rivers and Bayelsa states, government regulatory agencies such as National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), National Environmental Standard Regulation Agency ( NESRA), Rivers State Ministry of Environment, members of staff of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), however lamented the difficult situation people from oil-bearing communities have found themselves in.

    While urging the people to embrace peace and accept whatever is being put in place to solve the problems, he also noted that  “some of these processes of change take time to begin to manifest. Dialogue is of the essence.”

    The theme of the conference was “Towards a Sustainable Relationship Between Oil Operators and Host Communities: The Roles of Government, Oil Operators and Host Communities.”

    Welcoming the participants, the Executive Director of GASIN, Rev, Fr. Edward Obi explained that the job of his organisation is to establish a tripartite relationship among government/the regulatory agencies, the communities and the oil and gas companies for harmonious existence.

    Obi also said: “Forming the tripartite relationship is good because it prevents a situation whereby communities lock up companies’ gates. Oil companies do not exist in a vacuum; they exist here and when they come, they have to do what is right for the people and vice versa.”

    He expressed optimism that since the tripartite relationship had worked before, “it will work again in Niger Delta.”

    In his speech, the Port Harcourt Zonal Director of NOSDRA, Mr Cyrus Nkangwung advised that “everybody should be seen as owners of the oil God has put in the land.”

    Nkangwung also urged the communities “to ensure that no oil spill takes place because if it does, it is the communities that will suffer most.”

    He further expressed the Federal Government’s desire to clean the Niger Delta region “which it has started with the clean-up of Ogoni land.”

    The six communities that attended the conference were Akala-Olu; Enito II; Oshie from Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State while those from Bayelsa State included Koroama; Obunagha and Polaku in Yenagoa Local Government Area.

    The people expressed regrets for letting in these companies into their lands.

    The absence of the IOCs from the conference was viewed as an insult to the communities.

    King Funpere Akah of Gbarain Clan in Koroama said it is regrettable that “we are talking about our problems and those who are to help in solving them are not here. If you know they will not come, please do not invite us next time.”

    Akah lamented that SPDC has not helped his community as the company has brought all manner of troubles to them.

    The royal father pointed out that the presence of the company has brought insecurity to his land to the extent that it has become a big threat to the community because “the place is now safe haven for hoodlums, armed robbers and kidnappers.”

    He also said the community that produces gas which is used to light up other parts of Nigeria is groping in darkness.

    Akah also lamented that his people can no longer harvest palm fruits “because everywhere is criss-crossed by oil-pipelines.”

    ”How do you get them to address our problems? Next time, if you know they will not come, please, do not invite me.

    The Spokesman of Akala-Olu community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, Mr Odums .S. Odums said his people are exposed to gas flaring while their rain water is polluted.

    Mr Thompson Pere from Obunagha community in Bayelsa State said his people are assailed by three predicaments that bother on gas flaring; oil spill and their lives.

    Pere said: “Gas flaring is now cracking our roofs, our potable water has no meaning again and our cash crops are now affected.”

    He also said “due to the operations of the oil companies, we have been witnessing oil spills which pollute the water we used to drink and destroy aquatic life.”

    Continuing, Pere stated that “since Oil Company stepped into our land, our social lives are affected and anti-social behaviours which we never experienced before are now the order of the day. Youths indulge in cultism, armed robbery and other acts of criminality.”

    Speaking for Kula community in Rivers State, King Barnabas Kurule said: “Oil and gas companies have caused a lot of damage to us. Due to their operations, we do not know when there is rainy or dry season.

    “Vibration of our land does not allow us to sleep well at night.”

    Others who spoke on behalf of other communities that attended the conference reeled off several woes that have become their lot since the IOCs commenced operations in their land.

    In a 19-point communiqué they issued at the end of the conference and which was signed by all the participants present, they, among others, called on government and the IOCs “to provide adequate social amenities for the host communities to ameliorate the hazards caused by their operations.”

     

     

     

     

  • JTF tackles militants, vandals, kidnappers in Niger Delta

    JTF tackles militants, vandals, kidnappers in Niger Delta

    Worried by the never-ending destruction of lives and national assets, especially oil installations, by militants and other criminal elements in the Niger Delta, the Federal Government deployed the Joint Task Force to quel the crimes. Mike Odiegwu  examines the activities of the outfit and writes that the Operation Delta Safe (ODS) arm of the JTF is making progress in tackling militancy, vandalism and kidnapping.

    The Operation Delta Safe (ODS) arm of the Joint Task Force (JTF), is  the busiest security formation in the Niger Delta region. Officers and operatives of ODS working hard to live up to the outfit’s mandate of safeguarding the region.

    Insecurity portrays the Niger Delta as the most crime-infested area in the country, after the Northeast. The troops are saddled with the responsibility of ridding the Niger Delta of militancy, pipeline vandalism, kidnapping, piracy and other forms of crimes.

    Every week, troops patrol the difficult, muddy and waterlogged terrains. They invade criminal hideouts, have close shaves with death from enemies of the region who are armed to the teeth.

    Weekly scrutiny of the activities of ODS revealed that the outfit is achieving its mandate in the region.

    Niger Delta Report obtained the following records of the weekly activities of ODS in some of their operations in the region.

     

    Troops against sea pirates 

     

    A statement signed by the Deputy Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre (JMCC), Lt. Commander Thomas Otuji, said the troops of Sector 1 in Delta State deployed at Idama waterside received distress calls by members of the community that sea pirates were terrorising them. The troops stormed the community and pursued the criminals.

    The troops sank the pirates’ 200-horse-power speedboat and recovered items such as arms and ammunition, AK 47 rifle, three magazines with 20 x 7.62 millimeters (special) and two live vests.

    The troops then sailed to Kula, Abonnema waterways, following a tip-off and engaged sea pirates near Olakpoko Kula where another gang engaged them in a shootout. Two of the pirates were killed while two others escaped with gunshot wounds. The troops recovered one AK 47 rifle, two AK 47 magazines, 40 x 7.62 millimeter (special), two mobile phones and one speedboat.

     

    War against oil theft: troops reject bribe

     

    In Rivers State, troops of Sector 3 raided an illegal refining camp at Adokiye-Ama community of Okrika Local Government Area. After conducting cordon-and-search operations, they discovered massive illegal refineries.

    They further discovered that the camp belonged to one Mr. George Amah, who is indigenous to Okrika. They destroyed the camp and recovered 33 pumping machines of various sizes, one power generating set; two gas cylinders for welding, five radio chargers and three speedboats.

    The troops, in a separate patrol, also intercepted two wooden Cotonou boats laden with petroleum products. They recovered two welding machines, a power generating set, 10 packs of welding electrolyte, two welding masks, two bags of cement, a bundle of marine rope, four shovels, one hose and five life vests. The troops set the items ablaze.

    In a similar raid around Tangolosusu area of Bonny, the ODS operatives destroyed two illegal refineries and some wooden barges.

    In Delta State, ODS had major breakthroughs as the troops resisted attempts by oil thieves to make them compromise. In what was called static operations, troops arrested one Salisu Mohammed Zayyan, a driver of an Iveco petrol tanker with plate number Katsina KNK 151 XA.

    The tanker was laden with 33,000 liters of substances suspected to be illegally-refined Automated Gas Oil (AGO).

    It was arrested at Otovwodo, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

    The suspect reportedly loaded the illegal product from a creek in Port Harcourt and was heading to Zamafara State when he was arrested. While the waybill indicated that the tanker was loaded with Petrol Motor Spirit (PMS), on close examination, it was actually loaded with AGO.

    Another suspect identified as Kesiena Oloya was arrested by the ODS along Jeremi Junction, Ughelli South Local Government Area. He had in his possession 35 gallons filled with AGO. The suspect allegedly attempted to bribe the troops with N29, 000, but his offer was turned down.

    His Nokia mobile phone and two Vento cars with registration numbers GB 393 AA and BUR 151 AA were seized and burnt by the troops. He was later handed over to the A Division of the Nigeria Police in Ughelli.

    The Eagle-eyed troops also foiled an attempt by oil thieves to use escort vehicles as a decoy to transport stolen AGO. One of the vehicles had an escort tag as its plate number while the other had registration number WWR 24 AL.

    Otuji in the statement said: “They were carrying 8×300 litres and 12×60 litres of plastic drums and jerry cans of suspected illegally-refined AGO.

    “It was gathered that the intention of the occupants of the vehicles was to evade scrutiny by troops.”

    Similarly, the troops, in conjunction with members of Petroleum Task Force, raided two illegal oil-bunkering dumps at Ugwuangwe in Warri South Local Government Area and Udu Local Government Area. The sites were reportedly used as dump and piling camps before reloading into petroleum tankers. Items such as rubbers, hose and jerry cans were recovered and destroyed.

     

    War against militants and kidnappers

     

    The ODS continued its operations against a militant group operating in the creeks of Bakassi and Cross River State. In collaboration with some vigilance groups, the security operatives ambushed and killed five members of the Bakassi Strike Force (BSF)

    ODS’ statement said: “The suspected militants had earlier hijacked a boat conveying large quantity of rice from a marketer at Parrot Island in Bakassi Local Government Area.

    “The owner of the goods was asked to pay N500, 000 as ransom. The militants were at the point of collecting the ransom before they were encountered by the troops. Similarly, troops arrested two suspected militants of Bakassi Strike Force and a suspected cultist in Ikot Ene, Akpabayo Local Government Area and apprehended another high-profile suspected member of the Bakassi Strike Force militant known as Ekpo (alias Short Gun) at Resettlement Centre Road, 27, Obot Tom Road in Bakassi.”

    Besides, operatives of ODS, in conjunction with Nigeria Police and vigilance group rescued a kidnap victim, Chief Matron of  Ughelli Central Hospital, one Mrs. Patience Abere who was abducted at her residence, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, on October 19.

    “The matron was abducted by three notorious armed men in her Kia Soul car with registration number AS 609 UGH. One of the suspects, Mr. Innocent Egboboh, was apprehended while two of the abductors fled on sighting the troops. Two locally-made pistols and three live cartridges  were recovered from the criminals.

    “Troops of  Sector 1  also  trailed and arrested  suspected  kidnappers, one Mr. Simon Agbabule and  his  accomplices at Okwugbude Community in Okpe Local  Government Area, Delta State.

    “The criminals were on their way to kidnap a victim when the troops monitored and swung on them. Items recovered included one AK 47 rifle, two magazines and 49 x 7.62 millimeters (special) ammunition.

    “It has come to the notice of Operation Delta Safe that criminals hide under names of reputable companies by using their vehicles/trucks to perpetuate crimes.

    “We appreciate the untiring support of members of the public for providing timely pieces of information to the troops. We are resolute that no amount of inducement by recalcitrant criminals will compromise our resilient troops from ridding the region of economic saboteurs.”

  • Army kills 2, repels attack by Niger Delta Avengers

    Army kills 2, repels attack by Niger Delta Avengers

    The Joint Military Force deployed to the Niger Delta, Operation Delta Safe says it successfully repelled an attack by Niger Delta Avengers at a gas facility in Delta and killed two pirates in ongoing operations in the region.

    A statement by Lt-Col. Olaolu Daudu, Spokesman of the Joint Force made this known in Bayelsa on Tuesday.

    Daudu said that the operations were carried out between Saturday and Tuesday.

    “Troops deployed at Delta State while on watch at the Nigeria Gas Company Outpost in Batan/Egwa Area of Warri South West Local Government of Delta encountered suspected militants who claimed to be members of Niger Delta Avengers.

    “They came in two 200 Horsepower Speed capacity boats but were subsequently engaged and repelled. Effort is ongoing to apprehend the criminals.

    “Troops also rescued a Passenger boat from sea robbers at Idoro River in Ozobo Community, Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State.

    “While trying to escape, the sea robbers’ boat collided with that of the passenger boat and capsized.

    “Four of the suspected sea robbers were arrested, however, four locally made double barrel guns belonging to the suspects fell into the river.

    “Efforts are ongoing to recover the guns while suspects are in custody for further investigation. They are presently in custody for further investigation,” Daudu stated.

    He also said that troops on patrol at Asugbo Tibigbene and Beneth River Warri South Local Government Area impounded a wooden boat carrying 53 drums of illegally refined substance at Asugbo.

    Also, troops while on clearance operation at Yorkiri, Obotobo, Chamomi Creek Okerenkoko and Open river arrested a Cotonou boat conveying Jerrycans for possible loading of substance.

    The Spokesman said that in another development troops arrested a 21-year-old man Usman Jafar, an indigene of Adamawa State, who had  been parading himself as a serving soldier.

    The suspect allegedly robbed  Atima Aghogho along Ajanuga Road and the following items were also recovered from him, one fake Nigerian Army Identity Card, one First Bank of Nigeria ATM Card and an iphone belonging to one of his victims.

    “Following a tip-off, troops in conjunction with members of Petroleum Task Force conducted a raid at Ifieporo community in Warri South Local Government and discovered an area used or storage of stolen petroleum products

    “Other items discovered are several rubber drums and Jerricans containing substance suspected to be illegal oil bunkering mats.

    “Troops also recovered a black coloured Audi vehicle loaded with several waterproof bags containing substance suspected to be products of illegal bunkering.

    “Following another tip off troops discovered four identified hideouts used for storing substance suspected to be illegally refined Automated Gas Oil around Ohoro junction, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

    “No arrests were made while troops are on the trail of the perpetrators,” Daudu stated.

    Daudu also said that on Tuesday the troops arrested one suspected bugler while on a routine check with N136,000 cash, one Ifinix Note II handset, one venue handset.

    He said the items and the suspect would be handed over to the Nigeria Police.

    “Troops at Batan reported a loud sound suspected to be an explosion.

    “Further findings revealed that a Barge carrying equipment used for the repairs of the Trans Forcados Pipeline at the repair site in Eweregbene community was blown by suspected Niger Delta Avengers militants who retreated after troops repelled the attack.

    “However, 2 un-exploded dynamites were found at the scene on a branch and swamp buggy were successfully detonated by troops.,” Daudu stated.