The Nigerian Army on Saturday deployed troops for the commencement of Operation Crocodile Smile in the six Niger Delta states.
SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that more than 3, 000 soldiers would be involved in the three-week operation slated for October 7 to 28.
The General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port
Harcourt, Major General Enobong Udoh disclosed this while addressing
troops to signal commencement of the exercise.
Udoh, according to News Agency of Nigeria, said, “Operation
Crocodile Smile is not a show of force but a confidence-building patrol
that seeks to reassure the people of Rivers State and the Niger Delta
that the army is ready to work.
“We are ready to work with other security agencies of government to ensure that there is peace and security.
“Our operation aims to reassure the public that we are ready to
fight crimes like cultism, militancy, and kidnapping so that people can
go about their business without fear.”
He added that troops would carry out patrols with the Nigerian
Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service and
the Department of State Services.
Others are the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Prison Service.
Udoh noted that the six divisions would carry out the exercise in
Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states while another formation
would cover other states in the Niger Delta.
Meanwhile, some militants have threatened to attack the soldiers
deployed in the oil-rich region. The militants, who spoke through the
Niger Delta Peoples Democratic Front, said the heavy presence of
soldiers in the area was unnecessary.
Leader of the group, ‘General Playboy’, said in a statement, “I
am writing this statement as I was coming out of a meeting with members
of our group and we believe that the government is trying to make the
youths angry with the recent deployment of soldiers in the Niger Delta
region.
“The level of militancy is very low and there is no longer
attacks on oil installations in the region. So, we want to know why
troops are deployed in the region. Do they want to kill our people the
way they killed some Igbo in the South-East.
“We are asking them (troops) to leave our region immediately
otherwise we will attack them. We don’t have any problem here and
therefore, we do not need the deployment of soldiers.”
One of Punch correspondents observed that there was heavy traffic
on Ada George Road in Port Harcourt at about 11am on Saturday as troops
moved in armoured personnel carriers towards the AGIP junction.
Also, the Pan Niger Delta Forum said it wanted the military
authorities to warn the soldiers to abide by their rules of engagement
during the operation in order to sustain the fragile peace in the
region.
The group’s Coordinating Secretary, Dr. Alfred Mulade, said,
“Our reaction remained the same. In spite of our appeal, the Federal
Government still went ahead to launch the exercise. It is quite
unfortunate.
“What we are doing is in the interest of peace because we
believe strongly that the action would be counterproductive. The best
approach remains that the community should not be militarised.
“The only advice we give to them is that although we did not
expect them to go ahead with the exercise, they should be guided by
their operational tenet and rules of engagement.
“They should also respect civil authority so that they don’t
harass innocent people in the Niger Delta communities. They should not
visit communities to invade and harass people as it was done in the
first stage of Operation Crocodile Smile last year.
“In last year’s operation, tales of woes trailed the exercise.
We are not sure that they (military) will abide by their operational
tenets by not infringing on people’s rights.
“We are sure that they will invade communities and harass
people to cause tension in the region. What we want is peace and not
deployment of soldiers. They must be cautious during the exercise.”