Navy assures of safety on N-Delta waterways

BY Akpokona Omafuaire

WARRI — The Nigerian Navy has said that the decline of militancy in the Niger Delta region was due to the persistent effort of its men in finding lasting solution to the violence in the area.

The Navy also maintained that they will continue to protect the lives and property of those who have invested billions of naira in businesses in the Niger Delta region and make the waterways safe for business activities.

The Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogbor, who spoke, weekend, at the end of the second bi-annual sea patrol in the Delta area, noted that the force had considerably reduced illegal oil bunkering and other forms of criminality in the troubled region.

Ogbor said that though the Navy had reduced the impunity in the waterways, it would not relent in its determination to make the area safe for business activities and human habitation.

The 72-hour exercise, tagged Operation Waegbe, Ogbor noted, was also meant to test the combat readiness of his men in case the need arose to take up any peculiar challenge.

According to the Naval Chief, the special attention paid to the Niger Delta area by the Federal Government was because of its strategic importance to the country, noting that the waterways were now safe for businesses that had vacated the area due to insecurity.

To increase the level of effectiveness of his men, Ogbor called on the relevant authorities to provide more patrol ships to assist in securing the nation’s territorial waters.