No fewer than 20 soldiers among those involved in the on-going military
\noperations code-named \u2018\u2019Operations Crocodile Smile\u2019\u2019, have died in the
\ncreeks of the Niger Delta, it has been confirmed.<\/p>\n
While four of soldiers died in the creeks of Bayelsa, another sixteen
\nreportedly died along the River Ethiope in Delta State due to boat
\nmishaps.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, militants in Niger Delta under the aegis of Niger Delta
\nAvengers (NDA), have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the
\non-going military operations codenamed \u2018\u2019Operations Crocodile Smile\u2019\u2019, in
\nthe oil rich but crisis-scarred Niger Delta region.<\/p>\n
The group offered condolences to the families and the President on the
\nsoldiers murdered in the ongoing military operation cum exercise.
\nIn a statement by its spokesperson, self-styled Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo
\nsaid their deaths were more like murder than accidental, saying \u201ctheir
\ndeath is due to negligence, administrative greed and a corruption within
\nthe military constructed and perfected by the ascendant APC political
\nclass (conflict merchants we have mentioned times without numbers) from
\nthe Niger Delta and some Abuja paid and bought up interest”.<\/p>\n
The group added: \u201cMr. President, the worrisome dimensions about the
\nongoing reorganization and restructuring of the unending security
\noperations in the Niger Delta is where two of your head of security
\napparatus are boasting to the Minister of Defense that they have your
\nears. They assured him, it is now their turn to bloat their pockets and
\nthat they can talk you to even borrowing money to sustain the insecurity
\nin the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have earlier advised against timing, strategy and objectives of the
\nshow of military might and the deployment of military hardware to the
\nNiger Delta suddenly when there is certainly cessation of hostilities for
\npeace talks to commence. But the top hierarchy of the Nigerian military
\nwas only after pecuniary monetary gains and that of a \u2018Champagne\u2019
\nintelligence chief, who is desperately arm-twisting the peace processes
\ncontinuously.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe advice is that all lives matters! Why are you in a hurry to train
\nover 2000 military personnel for just 4 to 14 days on amphibious military
\nexercise to occupy the Niger Delta region when the Niger Elders and
\nstakeholders are awaiting your response for peace talks?<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you forgotten the exploits of our great fathers during the infamous
\nNigerian Civil War in amphibious warfare without any military training? Is
\nit because they were volunteers that the success was credited to Late Lt.
\nCol. Benjamin Adekunle and Lt. Col Olusegun Obasanjo, instead of them?<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. President as a veteran of that fateful war, you know that after all
\nfailures, the amphibious warfare and successes were under the command of
\nLt. Gen. Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro of blessed memory, the pride and face of
\nthe 3rd Marine Commandos (3MCDOS) constituted of able-bodied Ijaw warriors
\nvoluntarily. They were not given any formal military training prior to
\nthat great contribution to the unity of Nigeria, but they succeeded
\nbecause they were amphibious by nature\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
NDA added: \u201cMr. President, the truth be told, we are the \u2018Great White
\nSharks of the Atlantic when it come to marine warfare! \u2018Operation
\nCrocodile Smiles\u2019 is ironically, a simulative military operation cum
\nexercise for waters less than 2 fathoms in depth orchestrated by the top
\nhierarchy of the military to undermine any genuine disposition from your
\ngovernment towards restoration of tranquility in the Niger Delta and to
\nexhaust your security budget for the year, except you are thinking
\notherwise towards peace in the Niger Delta too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, the Ijaw and the people of the Niger Delta occurred here times
\nimmemorial. We have resisted, any attempt of exclusions in the control of
\nour God- given resources, from the Portuguese and British colonial trades
\nand periods to date. We are ever ready to continue that resistance even
\nwithout guns and ammunition.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally, Mr. President, in practical terms Crocodiles do not have any
\ncapacity to swim close to the water depth small tiger sharks swim and play
\naround, not to talk of the depths of the great whites, the heart of the
\nnation\u2019s economy where we have overmastered. The mission ongoing in the
\nNiger Delta is a brainchild of orchestrated military corruption at your
\nface, Mr. President.<\/p>\n
\u201cOperation Crocodile Smiles is nothing but a conduit pipe for military
\ncontracts, political profiteers and patronages designed for the stress of
\nyour administration\u2019s scarce resources. If it has any other purpose, it is
\nsatisfy the ego of a trigger -happy army chief, who killed over 800
\nShiites just to have the right of way to a meeting even though there were
\nother routes to his meeting.
\n\u201cFor the records, a depth of 2-3 fathoms in the Niger Delta region is
\nlikened to the waters our kids of ages between 3-8 years bathe and swim
\nwith crocodiles, alligators and other aquatic creatures in the
\nmangroves\/freshwater swamps of Niger Delta creeks\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
No fewer than 20 soldiers among those involved in the on-going military operations code-named \u2018\u2019Operations Crocodile Smile\u2019\u2019, have died in the creeks of the Niger Delta, it has been confirmed.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n