Features 18
Daily Times Nigeria Monday,August 15, 2016
WAR AGAINST MILITANCY:
Nigerian Navy prays for dialogue, political intervention
Nigerian Navy
God’s Covenant Snr with agency report While brazing up for the all out battle against the viciousness of Nigeria Delta militants across the Southern Nigeria, the Nigerian has expressed optimism that dialogue and political intervention will address the re-emergence of militancy in the Niger Delta region. But where both processes fail
to yield the desired result, the Navy is more than ready to take the military option. The Director of Information, Nigerian Navy headquarters, Commodore Christian Ezekobe, made this position clear when he featured at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja recently. “What has posed some level of challenge is the re-emergence of militancy in the Niger Delta - the blowing up of oil and gas infra-
structure, which is crucial to the nation’s survival. This we are grappling with right now. “Over the news, you would have heard of various levels of arrest being made and handover of suspects to DSS also being made and so on. “But we are praying for a political solution by way of dialogue and political intervention “However, where all that fail, we are more than ready to take the military option.’’
Between June 2015 and Dec. 2015, the Commodore revealed, the rate of maritime-related crimes at the sea such as robbery, kidnapping and piracy dropped sharply. “But a surge in the rate of such crimes was recorded in Feb. 2016 and continued up to April, when the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas initiated Operation `Tsare Teku’. “Since April, when `Operation Tsare Teku’ was initiated,
we have had only two cases (of maritime-related crimes). “When it was initiated, the operation was to last 90 days,” he said. He further said although the operation ended two weeks ago, the second phase was recently inaugurated by the chief of naval staff in Port Harcourt. Before Tsare Teku was initiated, 47 attacks by pirates, were recorded, according to the Commodore. “Since that time, the Navy had clamped down on illegal bunkerers and crude oil thieves, who were moving stolen products from the hinterland to the sea. “The Navy had acquired boats from an indigenous firm for use to patrol the creeks, rivers and rives in the region. “So, overtime, we are going to see that our partnership with Epenal leads to the mass production of patrol boats within the creeks and rivers of the Niger Delta,” he said. Urging all relevant government agencies and other stakeholders to join the crusade against piracy in the country, Ezekobe disclosed that the solution to that problem is landbased and all the agencies of government need to intensify their efforts so that they can all solve the problem. He disclosed that `Operation Awatse’ had put in place to check pipeline vandalism and other crimes. “The operation has addressed this issue and largely eliminated pipeline vandalism - at least in the Lagos lagoon area.” According to him, the re-emergence of militancy in the Niger Delta has encouraged some criminal elements to infuse themselves into the local criminal groups in the area to heighten the spate of insecurity and sabotage to oil and gas infrastructure.
I stole my master’s car because he forgot my birthday - suspect Oguntade ismaila
Suspect
A 24-year-old man who was apprehended by operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command, for allegedly stealing a Black SAAB Saloon Car, with registration number, AAA 581 CG, belonging to his helper, has said that he stole the car to punish him because he forgot his birthday. He also confessed that he is obsessed with the car and will continue to steal it. The suspect, Richard Akinwale, was trailed from Iju Road, Fagba area, for about five hours by the RRS officers before he was
eventually arrested along Wempco road in Agindigbi in Ikeja. A dropout from Northern American University in Cotonou, Benin Republic, Akinwale broke into the living room of his victim, Adelabu Tolani, through the ceiling to pick the car keys and carted away the vehicle along with other valuables. At the RRS headquarters, the suspect, who owned up to the crime, confessed that he stole the car and other valuables of his helper deliberately to punish him for forgetting his birthday. In his words: “I was accommodated into the Adelabu’s home about five years ago. I was able to have been part of the Adelabus
being friend to his wife’s brother right from the Church camp. Living with him and his family was a privilege for me. “He sponsored my educational career before I dropped out from the institution at final year. His wife was also very supportive. But I deliberately committed the offence because they asked me to move out of their house.” It was gathered that the suspect who had in the past stole the same vehicle along with other personal effects of the Adelabus pleaded for mercy from the car’s owner before the owner could secure his release at the Ogonbo Police division in Ajah area, where the case was initially reported.