BEVERLY HILLS, July 2, (THEWILL) – Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state has warned the new Commander of the Federal Government security outfit in the Niger Delta region, Operation Delta Safe, ODS, to be professional in addressing security challenges in the Niger Delta.
A statement issued in Yenagoa on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson reports that the Governor gave this warning when he received the new commander of ODS, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie.
Dickson emphasised the need for the law enforcement agents to be neutral in dealing with criminal activities.
While commending the Federal Government for retaining the headquarters of the new security outfit in Bayelsa, he stressed that ODS, particularly its maritime component, had a crucial role to play, as the state is predominantly riverine in nature.
Dickson, who expressed confidence in the ability of the officers and men of the new command, called for non-interference in their activities in the interest of national peace and stability, saying the Niger Delta occupies strategic position in the country.
On its part, he said the state government would continue to support security agencies in the fight against criminality and brigandage such as kidnapping, piracy and the wilful destruction of strategic national assets, with its attendant degradation of the environment.
The Governor paid tribute to all the commanders of the defunct Operation Pulo Shield for their contributions to the peace in the region, stressing however that dialogue remained the best option to resolving the security issues in the area.
In his remarks, the new Commander, who resumed duty on June 26, 2016, stated that the Federal Government deemed it necessary to re-engineer the security outfit as part of efforts to effectively tackle insecurity in the country.
He maintained that the task of achieving enduring peace and stability, remains a joint effort involving the governments, community leaders and other stakeholders of the affected states, particularly in the maritime areas covered by ODS mandate.
Okojie allayed the fears of the people, saying that the outfit would adopt a holistic approach in maintaining law and order rather than use brute force.
He, however, warned criminal-minded individuals to steer clear the region as the ODS has acquired adequate resources to deal decisively with those who sabotage the government’s efforts towards promoting economic growth and prosperity.
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