Operation Delta Safe,’
the joint military force deployed to the Niger Delta, on Wednesday reacted to
threats from the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA)
who claim that they will declare a Niger Delta Republic on August 1.
The NDA had also
said that it was prepared to take on the Nigerian military.
In what appeared to
be a reaction to the threats posed by the claims, the military said that it was
adequately prepared to deal with the renewed violence by militants in the
region.
Rear Admiral Joseph
Okojie, Commander of the operation, said during a press conference that the
military has to capacity to flush out militants but were compelled to respect
the dialogue option adopted by the federal government.
It will be recalled that the Defence Headquarters had
scaled down the military option and declared a ceasefire in order to pave way
for dialogue with the militants.
A few days ago,
President Muhamadu Buhari told the outgoing German Ambassador that the federal
government was in talks with the Niger Delta militants.
Rear Admiral Okojie
who said that the operation enjoyed the support of the military top brass and
the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces and has been effectively curtailing
collateral damage to oil infrastructure in the region.
He urged the media
to be objective and professional in reporting the security challenges in the Niger
Delta region, as the military will continue to keep its mandate of providing a
safe environment for economic prosperity.
“We have seen
reports emanating from faceless sources that tend to compromise national
security in the mainstream media and want to restate our commitment to the
mandate given to Operation Delta Safe,” he said, noting that the mandate does
not include engagement in propaganda with anyone.
Affirming that the
territorial integrity of Nigeria is “sacrosanct,” he implored the media to rise
to the occasion and subject their security related stories to the dictates of
their professional ethics. Saharareporters
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