July 10, (THEWILL) — The Chief of Army Staff, Nigerian Army, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has directed the army across the country to ensure that oil production activities are not disrupted by criminals to forestall revenue loss in the country.
The Commander, 2 Brigade, Nigeria Army, Brigadier General Alexander Tawasimi, gave the charge while playing host to members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Akwa Ibom State Council, on a courtesy visit.
According to him, the army has been proactive by taking the fight to the creeks to forestall illegal bunkering activities, stressing that the essence was to ensure that criminals stop sabotaging the economy.
“If you look at bunkering activities, it’s virtually nil because most of the oil facility infrastructures are on the sea”, he stated.
On the activities of kidnappers, the Commander urged the public to give them information on security threats in their areas for prompt action and prevention of any form of insecurity.
Tawasimi, who is also the Commander, Sector 4, Joint Task Force, South South Operation Delta Safe, spoke following issues of kidnapping in some local government areas of Akwa Ibom, especially at the oil-producing communities and the waterways.
He explained that kidnappers and bandits would not dare to operate in an area the army occupies, urging the people to always give credible information to the army.
He also urged Akwa Ibom people to be vigilant and cautious of strange faces in their environment and report to the authorities any case of suspicious movement.
“Akwa Ibom is very peaceful and safe, but the challenge we are grappling with at the moment is criminality, kidnapping. We are not spirits, we cannot be everywhere or know everything, anywhere we are or base and kidnappers know that we are there, they will never operate there.
“What we are asking for is the passage of information from the public. If you are in a place and see strange faces, report to the authorities. When you see something, you say something. It’s only when you report that we can act swiftly. What we are doing right now is to dominate the waterways, largely security is everybody’s business. It’s our responsibility as citizens to speak out”, he said.
Tawasimi also disclosed that human rights desks have been established in the state, saying that Akwa Ibom residents are free to register any complaint on human rights infringements, even as he noted that he had cautioned the officers and men against human rights violations upon assumption of duty.
“We have a human rights desk to address any issue of violation. When I took over, I had to go round virtually all the cantonments in the state to educate our men on how to relate to the people and avoid human rights violations. Nobody should be afraid to approach us and make their complaint. We don’t shy away from disciplining our officers and men who contravene rules and regulations.
