Army assures oil coys of protection in Niger Delta

By Musa Umar Bologi
Abuja

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has assured oil companies in the Niger Delta region that Nigerian Army would continue to collaborate with other sister services and security agencies to ensure protection of oil installations and national assets in the region.
Speaking yesterday at a workshop on security and human rights in Abuja, Buratai said the army, while performing its constitutional mandates of assisting other security agencies in internal security operations, would continue to be guided by rules of engagement and human rights.
He said: “The issue of human rights has assumed greater responsibility not only within the armed forces, but across the spectrum of security agencies.
“The military never deviates from rules of engagement, because it understands consequence of human rights violations, even as our rules of engagement are geared towards protecting lives and property of the people. Where anybody complains that his /her right is infringed upon by our personnel we usually take the matter with utmost seriousness.”
In his remarks, Executive Director, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), represented by the Director Legal Services and Enforcement, Olatunji Omodara, commended the COAS for ensuring that the Nigerian Army “obeys human rights of the citizens during operations.”
He charged oil companies in the Niger Delta region to ensure human rights compliance by adhering to environmental protection laws.

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