Kill 5 militants, Arrest 23 as FG vows to rid region of criminalities
Notwithstanding promises by the
President Muhammadu Buhari government that it would employ dialogue, as
an option, in dealing with the resurgent militancy in the Niger Delta,
the military at the weekend launched an operation to root out militants
in the oil-rich region.
Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani
Usman, said in a statement yesterday that the military campaign was “a
precursor operation” to a planned offensive against the militants,
code-named operation “Crocodile Smile”.
But in a quick reaction Saturday,
president of Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, condemned
the decision of the federal government to use strong-arm methods
against the groups, which had been attacking oil facilities in the
region. Eradiri accused the government of insincerity in its pledge to
peacefully resolve the emergent armed agitations, saying the use of
force may jeopardise efforts by leaders of the people to resolve the
crisis.
The Nigerian Army had been amassing
troops, arms and ammunitions for “Crocodile Smile”, which it said was in
support of the wider “Operation Delta Safe” being conducted to protect
the oil infrastructure in the nine oil producing states.
Usman stated yesterday, “The 133 Special
Forces Battalion of Nigerian Army troops have carried out a precursor
operation to Exercise ‘Crocodile Smile’ aimed at getting rid of all
forms of criminal activities in the Niger Delta geopolitical region of
Nigeria.” He said in the course of the operation, “five militants that
attacked the troops were killed in action, while numerous others were
injured and 23 suspects were arrested.”
The army spokesman said the military
operation, conducted on Friday, was carried out by the Special Forces at
the militants’ camps. He listed items recovered from the camps to
include two AK-47 rifles, 11 Pump Action Guns, a locally made revolver
pistol, 292 cartridges of live Ammunition, 199 rounds of AK-47 rifle
Ammunition, four electricity generating sets, and a camp gas cooker. The
troops also recovered an abandoned engine boat left by the fleeing
militants, he said.
There was intense apprehension along the
waterways of the Niger Delta at the weekend following Friday’s
announcement by the army spokesman that the military was amassing as
part of a broader “logistics build-up” in the Niger Delta.
“The military training exercise embarked
upon by the Nigerian Army to train its Special Forces, formations and
units located in the South-south geo-political zone of the country has
commenced in earnest,” Usman had stated.
It was gathered that the Sapele waterways in Delta State were used as springboard for the troop deployment to the creeks of the region.
It was gathered that the Sapele waterways in Delta State were used as springboard for the troop deployment to the creeks of the region.
However, the IYC called for caution and
advised the federal government to pull the troops out of the area in
order not to endanger on-going peace efforts. The IYC president said he
had been inundated with complaints by people scampering for safety and
fleeing into the forests at the approach of the troops, who operated in
military gunboats in the creeks.
One militant group, the Ultimate
Warriors of Niger Delta, also warned that the military would only
succeed in maltreating innocent locals, who have always borne the brunt
of such exercises.
Eradiri said it amounted to insincerity on the part of the government to be pronouncing dialogue while at the same time conducting a major military operation in the region.
Eradiri said it amounted to insincerity on the part of the government to be pronouncing dialogue while at the same time conducting a major military operation in the region.
He said, “The EK Clark committee has
brought all Niger Delta leaders together. The MEND and the Avengers
support them. The other day, the Minister for Petroleum, Ibe Kachukwu,
met with them again.
“The unfortunate fact is whether
government is sincere in this whole business. How can the military
within the period announce that they are carrying out an exercise in the
Niger Delta? They should have suspended whatever exercise they wanted
to carry out. There is heavy presence of military mobilising into the
Niger Delta through Sapele. But whether it is for ordinary exercise or
not should have been suspended at this period.
“The communities are apprehensive and
many people are now running away from their homes. As at yesterday
(Friday) night, there was this rumour that they were going to attack
Gbaramatu and the entire community started scampering into the forest
because soldiers were seen mobilising in Sapele.
“When we asked, they said the military
had met the governor and said they wanted to do a two-week drill in
Niger Delta. It is wrong. They should suspend any form of activity
because there is an interpretation of a sinister motive in their
activities.”
The IYC leader urged Buhari to
demonstrate sincerity of purpose in solving the problems in the Niger
Delta. According to him, “President Buhari has not shown sincerity. He
must withdraw the military from the Niger Delta if he wants genuine
discussions. We are sceptical seeing many soldiers mobilising and
jumping here and there.
“We don’t have a Sambisa forest where militants are stationed and waiting for the federal government, like in the North. There is nothing like that. This battle is more of an intelligence-civil strategy instead of an invasion that is old-fashioned. It will clearly jeopardise the dialogue.”
“We don’t have a Sambisa forest where militants are stationed and waiting for the federal government, like in the North. There is nothing like that. This battle is more of an intelligence-civil strategy instead of an invasion that is old-fashioned. It will clearly jeopardise the dialogue.”
In its own reaction, the Supreme Council
of Militia Forces under which the Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta
operates, warned the military to be extremely cautious, threatening that
it will not take the killing of innocent civilians lightly. The group
said in a statement, “The Supreme Council of Militia Forces is also
asking the military to be professional and cautious with its on-going
exercise in the Niger Delta waterways. It is unfortunate that we have a
military that is lagging behind in amphibious training at this digital
age compared to their counterparts in other climes and want to use the
Niger Delta crisis as an excuse to further perpetuate their evil of
causing panic and fear within our communities.
“This is what the Nigerian Army is known
for; violation of human rights and abuses are their hallmark, they
seize by the butt of the guns what doesn’t belong to them, including
sending our poor farmers and fishermen/women out of the rivers because
they want to show off their strength.”
It added, ”You send local people whose
only means of eking out a living is fishing to stay away from their
occupation without any palliative for them as if there are no rivers in
the northern part of country where they can candidly embark on such
training.
“But we will not be provoked; we are not
for them and we will not give them the room to attack our communities.
If anything unpalatable happens in the Niger Delta now that stakeholders
have secured a ceasefire deal from agitators, the whole world will know
who should be held responsible because the deployment of military
devices, personnel and gunboats at a time the region is still fragile is
to provoke the sleeping dogs.”
The Ultimate Warriors also welcomed the decision by the Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta to disband its AARON TEAM 2 and lend
its support to the elders, monarchs and stakeholders committee headed by
elder statesman, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark.
0 comments:
Post a Comment