The joint military Task force deployed to the Niger Delta, code-named: Operation Delta Safe, ODS, has averred that the military has the capacity to flush out militants from the region but was compelled to respect the dialogue option adopted by the Federal Government.
Commander of the operation, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, who made this known at a press conference in Yenagoa on Wednesday, reiterated the preparedness of the ODS to deal with the renewed violence by militants in the oil-rich region.
Stressing that the Defence Headquarters had scaled down military option and declared a ceasefire to pave the way for dialogue with the militants, he stated that the operation through the support of the military top brass and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has been effectively curtailing collateral damage to oil infrastructure in the region.
Okojie urged the media to be objective and professional in reporting the security challenges in the region, as the military would continue to keep its mandate of providing a safe environment for economic prosperity.
According to him, “We have seen reports emanating from faceless sources that tend to compromise national security in the mainstream media and want to restate our commitment to the mandate given to Operation Delta Safe.
“Our mandate does not include engagement in propaganda with any interest and wish to restate that the territorial integrity of our country is sacrosanct.
“We implore the media to rise to the occasion and subject their security related stories to the dictates of their professional ethics,” the commander stated.
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