…Ijaw communities deserted
Determined to contain rampaging militants in the Niger Delta region, the
Joint Military Task Force is combing more Ijaw communities in search of
the ex-warlord, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo
and the militants responsible for the bombings of oil and gas pipelines
in parts of Delta State.
Tompolo, according to security reports, is linked with the activities of
the militants, an allegation he had since debunked.
Besides, Tompolo has an arrest warrant placed on him as he is wanted by
the EFCC to account for well over N35 billion allegedly fleeced from
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA),
Sources said the exercise which began on Monday with the cordon and search
exercise at Oporoza , the traditional of Gbaramatu Kingdom, has been
extended to other neighbouring riverside communities.
Pointblanknews.com learned that residents apparently afraid of any military
reprisal attacks have been leaving the communities in droves.
There is a general apprehension that the 2009 confrontation between the
military and the militants could repeat itself and many prominent Ijaw
leaders and groups have denounced that nefarious activities of the nascent
militant group as some of the communities have become ghost town.
‘’We do not side with the Avengers because the issue of neglect is a
regional matter and not peculiar to the group. It is wrong to destroy the
environment in the process because it takes a long time to remediate a
destroyed environment’’, an environmentalist who pleaded anonymity said,
adding, ‘’the Gbaramatu communities are not at war with the Federal
Government and security agencies. So, we, therefore, appeals to relevant
authorities to employ intelligence to fish out the culprits and bring
them to book.’’
As earlier exclusively reported by Pointblanknews.com, more gunboats and
personnel have been thrown into the fray by the military high command to
ensure adequate policing of the waterways and arrest of the masterminds.
‘’We have started the cordon and search in these communities and we are
doing this within the rules of engagement‘’, a military
source said tersely without giving further detail on whether they have
arrested any militant or recovered arms and ammunition.
Acting Director of Defense Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar,
has reiterated that the military will crush the perpetrators of the
destruction of oil and gas facilities including government assets in the
Niger Delta region or any other region.
General Abubakar said that the militants were engaging in economic
terrorism against the Nigeria state as such would classified
as criminals and punish appropriately according to the laws of the land.
According to him, the military and other security agencies would continue
to employ more proactive measures to fish out the perpetrators of the
dastardly acts to engender the safety of oil companies and
law-abiding community members.
The DHQ implored community leaders, traditional rulers and members of the
public to collaborate with the security agencies to ease the arrest of the
culprits for ‘’the interest of Nigeria, as no individual or group’s
interest is above that of the nation.’’