There was heavy presence of
soldiers in major areas of Port Harcourt yesterday, apparently due to the
postponement of the general elections.
Some residents said the military was
probably being proactive to nip any ugly reaction to the postponement in the
bud.
When contacted, the Army Public
Relations Officer, Port Harcourt Barracks, Captain Nsima Essie, said the
soldiers were on routine operations in the state.
In another development, the
Navy assured of effective policing of the waterways in the Niger Delta before and
after the general elections.
New Flag Officer Commanding Eastern
Naval Command, Rear Admiral, Henry Babalola, who spoke yesterday in Port
Harcourt, said the deployment of troops on the waterways was in compliance with
the request of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, adding that it
was part of move to guard against ballot box snatching and issues of electoral
violence.
He said the Navy would continue to
assist the electoral body to deliver credible elections to Nigerians.
He said: “The dictates of standard
operating procedures guarding military operations. We will standby to assist
INEC to provide security to transport electoral materials to riverine areas,
when we are called upon.
“We will standby to create an
enabling environment that will allow voters to lawfully and legally come out to
cast their votes.
“Subverting electoral process starts
from when thugs import arms and ammunition to cause problems, and so we are
deploying one helicopter to join the naval flying unit here, and patrol boats
to ward-off ships bearing arms to the militants.
“It is a trying moment for our
nation, and so the idea is that at the end of the day, we will be on top of the
game to create a conducive atmosphere for the elections to take place.”
Continuing, he said his men were
free to vote for candidates of their choice but should do so in mufti and
should not hang around polling booths after casting their votes.
He further warned them against
openly campaigning for any of the political parties
Babalola said the navy would soon
take delivery of three warships to enhance its security operations.
“Very shortly, the Commander in
Chief (of the armed forces) and the Chief of the Naval Staff will be
commissioning three additions to the Nigerian navy fleet – and they are very
big ships.
“We have the offshore patrol
Centenary vessel from China assigned to the (nation’s) eastern fleet; the NNS
Opabana – an ex-United States Coast Guard ship, and another training ship, NNS
Prosperity.
“Again, on the smaller scale, we are
purchasing new boats; and we have just been assigned two-new K-13 (gun) boats
with a view to adding more bite to our war on crude oil theft and other
illegalities in our maritime environment,” he said.
Soldiers deployed in P-Harcourt, as Navy intensifies security in waterways
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on
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
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