In the Niger Delta area, a special unit set up by the Defence Headquarter tagged Operation Joint Task Force has brought relative calmness to the once restive region known for oil bunkering, kidnapping and vandalism. JOY EMMANUEL reports on how its Commander, Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman, has fared so far.
In the past, it was a sad tale of criminalities like kidnappings and oil bunkering in the Niger Delta especially Bayelsa state to the extent that life became so cheap due to the activities of these dare-devils until November 17 2016 when the Defence Headquarters appointed Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman to take over the affairs of the military operation, tagged Operation Delta Safe set up in the region with a view to nip in the bud all the criminal tendencies in the area. He took over from Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie.
The success story
Shortly after Suleiman took over, the story began to change especially with the intense intelligence gathering and combatant movement against pipeline vandalism, sea piracy, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes as the new commander showed capacity to contain the challenges on ground in line with the mandate of the joint task force to protect oil and gas infrastructures, deter and prevent militancy, sea robbery, crude oil theft, and other forms of criminalities within the joint operations area that could impact negatively on economic activities in the region.
His impacts were felt within the nine Niger Delta states especially when ‘Operation 777’ was activated to rid the region of criminals. It was aimed at further reinvigorating the operations of JTF with a view to disrupting the activities of criminal elements.
Accordingly, the operation focused on curbing crude oil theft, illegal refining of petroleum products, illegal oil bunkering, communal clashes, kidnapping, piracy/sea robbery and cultism as well as to eliminate militancy within the Joint Operational Area (JOA).
The operation, according to investigation, recorded so much achievement under Apochi as the aim was well achieved. The squad conducted intelligence-driven raids on criminal hideouts, targeting cultists, sea pirate, oil vandals and kidnappers, among others leading to the destruction of over 300 illegal refineries, 156 locally-manufactured boats known as Cotonou boats and 1,085 surface tanks. The JTF also conducted anti-illegal bunkering/anti-illegal refining operations at Okaki community in Bayelsa state which has become notorious for crude oil theft and illegal bunkering activities along the pipeline.
Also, seven AGIP maintenance workers kidnapped while carrying out an assessment of a blasted wellhead at Azuzuama council in the state on October 5 were rescued just as several militants/kidnappers camps were also destroyed. It was gathered that all operations in the creeks and rivers are carried out by the commander. A notable incident was when Joint Task Force stormed the Brass River terminal of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) on an investigative mission. Brass is an island that began as a fishing village. While there, he detained the vessels found at the terminal and went aboard to collect samples of the products for analysis.
The joint task force, the operation was also known for engaging community leaders and youths in periodic meetings to find lasting solutions to the challenges of crime in the region in order to brief the media.
It could be recalled that Admiral Apochi escaped death on several occasions. One of such was when he escaped a major disaster at Ikang in Cross River state when he and other top officers were escaped unhurt after the jetty on which where they were standing collapsed and some officers falling into the river.
It is however on record that one year after, the story has changed as bunkering and activities of sea pirates are gradually reducing.
A woman who simply gave her name as Mrs Silas in a chat with Blueprint said, “We the women are to engage community folks, especially those engaged in artisanal refining about the dangers of unhealthy crude oil extraction and refining practices by telling them that women and children are the most affected when there is any form of environmental pollution.”
When contacted to speak on the emerging issues as well as challenges of the task force, its spokesperson, Major Victor Olukoya, said, “You have to go to Abuja to get any information you want. I don’t have any information for you”.
Admiral Suleiman has however handed over to another Rear Admiral in the person of Akinjide Akinrinade. Givinh his remarks while handing over to his successor, he affirmed that the operation under his command has destroyed and dislodged major militant camps in the Niger Delta, thereby boosting security in the region.
As a result, he said crude oil production in the country has risen steadily in the past couple of years to over two million barrels per day.
“When I came here in 2016, there were issues of militancy all over my joint operation area but diligently, we have taken out the major militant camps in the Niger Delta region.”
He used the opportunity to reel out a number of militant camps and kidnapper bases that his troops routed and dislodged.
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