Several military commanders in the
Niger Delta on Tuesday met in Yenagoa, the
Bayelsa state capital, to review the new strategic
direction of Operation Delta Safe, ODS, insisting
that Nigeria’s indivisibility was non-negotiable.
Tuesday’s meeting, which lasted several hours at
the Joint Task Force Headquarters in Igbogene, was
in apparent response to recent pronouncements by
militant groups in the region that they had
concluded plans to create an independent republic.
Part of the agenda of the interactive session which drew sector heads from
Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Ondo, was to
forge a common front against the violent agitators
who have been destroying critical oil and gas
infrastructure in the region.
The JTF Commander, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie,
who spoke to newsmen on behalf of his colleagues,
maintained that every Nigerian has the right to
move around anywhere in the country without fear
of molestation.
While explaining the deployment of heavily armed
security operatives to the region, Okojie noted that
the military has the duty to maintain peace in the
area, assuring all residents of the readiness of the
military to quell any threat to security in the area.
“All I want to say is that the federal republic of
Nigeria belongs to all of us. The armed forces can
move anywhere at anytime. ODS covers the whole
of Niger Delta maritime area.
“So, if you see heavy presence in a village or town,
it’s just our routine patrol we are carrying out. It is
just the presence, and we have the right to be
present there. At least nobody has complained of
molestation.
“ It’s also about the information passed round
recently about some faceless individuals creating
certain republics for themselves. This will not be
allowed to happen”, he said.
