Niger Delta: Post-Amnesty Insecurity

Niger Delta: Post-Amnesty Insecurity Worries Military

THE armed security forces operating in the Niger Delta, Nigeria's main oil and gas region, are currently bracing to contain fresh security challenges in the oil region since the expiration of the amnesty offer on October 4, 2009.

To this end, troops are being trained to rise to the emerging security challenges. The Commander of the 97 Special Operations Group (SOG), Air Commodore Sadiq Baba Abubakar, made this known in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, when Governor Chibuike Amaechi paid him a working visit at the Special Operations Group.

The commander also hinted that the group has intensified the training of its officers and men to enhance their operational capabilities especially in dealing with security challenges that have emanated after the amnesty offer and narrated some problems faced by them.

According to him, a civilian/military relationship has been canvassed as the needed panacea towards tackling security challenges within the society.

Air Commodore Abubakar said the 97 Special Operations Group has been adopting the civilian/military approach to issues of host community relations for some time now and that it has proven to be of immense assistance in confronting security challenges.

“Under this package, we render some free social services to the host community with a view to promoting the relationship with them”, he said, emphasizing that the civilians have proved to be of assistance at crucial times.

While expressing gratitude to the Rivers State Government for its enormous gesture to the Nigeria Airforce in the state, Air Commodore Abubakar appealed for more assistance in the areas of renovation of the medical facility and hanger, completion of the Catholic Church building, flood control amongst others.

Speaking, Governor Amaechi said his administration will remain grateful to the Airforce in the manner it shared professional discipline with other arms of the forces to restore peace in Rivers State.

As an incentive, he said, the Rivers State Government has decided to make the men of the Airforce comfortable while serving in the state, and assured of government’s preparedness to support them in their endeavours.

He explained that the state government decided to build and equip one of its model primary school at the base at the cost of about N200 million and promised to site one of the model secondary schools, if there is a documented commitment that the school would be open to the public.

The governor thanked the men and officers of the Airforce for living peacefully with the civilian population and for maintaining high standard in the performance of their duties.

ENDS

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