ARMY TRAINS 200 SPECIAL MARINES TO TACKLE NIGER DELTA MILITANTS

– In preparation to completely still the brewing storm within the Niger Delta, the army has trained 200 special soldiers

 – Brig-Gen Olabanji made the disclosure in Port Harcourt at the graduation ceremony of recruits in Harry’s town

 – The army chief is confident the training will make a difference in the war against militancy in the Niger Delta

– Niger Delta leaders fear that a continued raid by the army might cause new militants to spring in the region.

The Nigerian army has said it has specially trained 200 soldiers to carry out special marine operations and rescue missions in the Niger Delta, following the resurgence of militant activities in the region. 

Brig-Gen Stevenson Olabanji, the Comman­der of 2 Brigade, Nige­rian army, said this at the graduation ceremony of young soldiers of 73 Regular Recruit In-take in Harry’s town, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Olabanji said the ex­ercise by Operation Pulo Shield Sector 2 is aimed at equipping soldiers with the requisite marine skills and boost troop’s readi­ness at combating oil theft in the region.

According to him, the army leadership has tak­en personnel training se­riously in view of current security challenges confronting the nation in the northeast and other parts of the country.

“To this end, the train­ing began on December 14 with 200 young and fresh soldiers from Nige­ria army depot in Zaria with the aim of familiarizing them with their operating environment.

“The soldiers were trained in basic unit regimentation covering field craft and minor tactics, internal security op­erations, general service knowledge, range classification and swimming, among others.

“The young soldiers also received special training in basic swim­ming lessons owing to the peculiar nature of our op­erating environment. “This swimming exer­cise is to equip with necessary survival skills as they will be operating in coastal areas,” he said.

Olabanji expressed optimism that the training would boost soldiers’ proficiency to better navigate the creeks, and as such, put an end to oil theft and attacks on oil installations in the region.

The commander said that current dynamics in the country require that the army become more professional in the dis-charge of its responsibilities and operation conduct.

The army chief advised the 200 sol­diers to obey military and civil laws, stressing that discipline, hard work and commitment must be the watchword in discharge of their duties.

In the same vein, the navy has launched 25 gunboats to tackle kidnapping and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region. The chief of naval staff, Rear Admiral Ibok Ekwe Abas, made the disclosure while speaking at the central naval command (CNC) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Abas said he inaugurated gunboats in Port Harcourt to support operations against kidnapping and other crimes in the maritime environment. Adding that the force will not rest on its oars till vandalism and vandal become a thing of the past in the south-south region.

Meanwhile, there is growing tension in certain communities within Gokana local government area of Rivers state over an alleged plot by the military to conduct mass arrest of suspected militants or cultists.

Rulers of the communities have cried out, lamenting that the recent spate of raids by the army is not doing the region much good. Some youth leaders have in recent times warned that the continued alleged persecution of some ex-warlords, could cause more militants to spring-up within the volatile region.