A Joint Task Force in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, ‘Operation Delta Safe’, says it will shut down the camps of militants in the region.
Militant groups in the region have truncated the nation’s revenue, making crude oil output dip in the last few months.
The Commander of the operation, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, said that his team’s mission would dislodge militant groups in the oil-rich region and that their “camps will no longer be allowed to exist”.
‘Illegal Agenda’
He issued the warning to members of various militant groups on Thursday and asked them to turn-in their small arms and light weapons.
Mr Okojie,was addressing reporters at the JTF headquarters in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.
He gave updates on the success so far in their operations to end pipeline vandalism and criminality on the nation’s waterways.
The commander of Operation Delta Safe, told reporters that there were lots of arms are in the hands of many unapproved persons who are using the arms to pursue various illegal agenda.
He further said that the military are gathering intelligence and at the appropriate time the criminals would all be dislodged and disarmed.
The Nigerian Military says it has began mopping up of illegal arms in the Niger Delta area.
He promised that the military would ensure that they dislodge all those with such arms and confiscate them.
Nigeria’s crude oil output dipped by 700,000 barrels per day to 1.56 million bpd in the wake of resurgence of militant activities in the Niger Delta region.
A group that calls itself the Niger Delta Avengers has claimed responsibility of most attacks on oil facilities in the region.
Lately, the group said it will cease fire and consider negotiation with the Nigerian government, a development that will hold huge benefit to the nation that depends largely on crude oil sales for revenue.