AN area in Okochiri, Okrika, Rivers State, allegedly code named Evil Forest by Ateke Tom, militant leader, now wears a new look with a health centre built by Governor Rotimi Amaechi occupying the vast land.
Ateke TomAteke Tom had been declared wanted by the state government sometime ago for alleged acts of cultism. The Joint Task Force, JTF, in the state, headed by Brigadier General Sariki Yarki Bello, also told newsmen that the declaration order still subsists, saying the security body would not relent in its search for Ateke. The edifice standing on the vast land that used to be dreaded by sons and daughters of Okrika speaks volume of the firm resolve of Amaechi to confront headlong the security challenge before his administration.
The JTF, in its search for Ateke, had stormed the alleged Evil Forest last year where they reportedly recovered a huge cache of arms. They were also said to have discovered a pipeline that was about one hundred and fifty meters long and laid from the alleged Evil Forest to the NNPC jetty in the town. With the pipeline, Ateke and his boys allegedly siphoned petroleum products from the NNPC jetty which they later dispensed to the public as condensate. Senate President, David Mark, was agape when he visited the community to see for himself the quantity of arms allegedly recovered from the forest.
Sunday Vanguard had thought that even with an imposing health centre now on what used to be the alleged Evil Forest, residents of Okrika would still dread visiting the place. But that is not the case. A young boy who simply gave his name as Imbre (not real name) led Sunday Vanguard to the health centre. As we alighted from the bike that took us there, my guide pulled me close, and said, “Oga, the fear of this place when Ateke was around was the beginning of wisdom. No okada rider would dare come this way”.
He continued that the situation was so bad that, for many, this part of the town was no longer seen to be part of Okrika community because its rule of militancy was distinct from life in other parts of Okrika. All that is now history. The old and young now throng the place as though the alleged Evil Forest was a myth, that it never existed.
According to my guide, Ateke had about four barricades on the way to the forest. Visitors were thoroughly screened at each of the barricades by heavily armed youths. The JTF, when it conducted media men round the place shortly after it conquered the area, showed us a place within the forest they said served as shooting range for Ateke and his men. Sand bags littered the place. And trees covered it from aerial survey.
Spokesman of the security body, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, told newsmen then that, that was where Ateke trained his boys on marksmanship. It was when Amaechi visited the alleged Evil Forest after the JTF had dislodged the militants last year that he gave the order that the place should serve public good with a health centre to be built on it.
Last Monday when the governor appeared before the state House of Assembly, he told the legislators that his administration would not stop at just turning the alleged Evil Forest to a heath centre but would go beyond this to convert the house Ateke lived in the neighbourhood before he was chased deeper into the creeks to a monument of sort. “We have converted Ateke’s Evil Forest to a health centre. We will not stop there. We will keep his house for the world to see where he lived”, the governor said.
The house where Ateke lived is located within the alleged Evil Forest. It is a bungalow on a land space measuring about one hundred and fifty by hundred. It has a tower from which, according to the JTF, he could see those, particularly security operatives, coming to the alleged Evil Forest. This tower made him to know when to run for cover whenever danger was imminent. This could be why the JTF missed him when they stormed the place.
From all indications, residents of the area no longer live in fear. And to sustain this new found atmosphere, the JTF said it had to create a permanent security troop for the area under what they called Sector Two of the JTF Operation Flush and headed by a lieutenant colonel. No wonder there was visible security presence around the health centre.
At the end of the visit to what used to be Ateke’s alleged Evil Forest, Sunday Vanguard spoke with the image maker of the JTF in Rivers State.
In the interview, Musa painted a gloomy picture of what the security situation in Okrika was like before soldiers were deployed to all parts of the state. Noting the tremendous support of the Amaechi government to the security body, he warned against withdrawal of the JTF from the region. According to him, any withdrawal would plunge the region into deeper crisis.
Excerpts of the interview:
Tell us what the alleged Evil Forest was like and how it got to this stage now that there is a health centre?
Well, like you are aware, Okochiri was under the grip of Ateke Tom. He was more or less a lord in the area. People feared him. And all his boys were just terrorizing the people. The Joint Task Force (JTF), based on intelligence report, had to intervene. We went into operation in the area. We entered his Evil Forest area, recovered arms and ammunition. On the same day, we moved into his house but narrowly missed him. We recovered hundreds of army and police uniforms. It may interest you to know that on that operation were the commander of JTF, Brigadier General Sariki Yarki Bello, the director of SSS and former commissioner of police, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu.
After the operation, the house was set ablaze and items recovered were brought to the JTF headquarters and later handed over to the appropriate quarters. Now the state government under Governor Rotimi Amaechi decided to build a health centre for the benefit of humanity in Okrika area and Okochiri in particular. There is this particular thing we had to consider, what happens when you operate in an area and move your men out later? The tendency is that Ateke Tom will come back. So the commander of the JTF, in his wisdom, decided to deploy troops permanently in the area. This is what we call state deployment; that is why some troops are there in Okochiri. We have even made it a Sector II under the command of a lieutenant colonel. This is why there is relative peace in the area today. You will agree with me that Okrika is now peaceful since the dislodgement of Ateke Tom and subsequent deployment of JTF troops to the area. And with the creation of Sector II in the area, peace has come to stay. We have not witnessed any case of violence and crisis in the area. Even the refinery complex that is located in the general area is also secure now. And all efforts are on to ensure peace is not only maintained but sustained. We have not witnessed any major crisis in the area since then.
Let’s look at Port Harcourt. What is the security situation like now?
We thank God things have normalized. I will say things have improved. It is on record that there are no sporadic shootings any longer on our streets. Armed robbery was the order of the day. They were entering banks and then disappearing through the waterways. This problem has now been checkmated to a greater extent.
When we look at areas like Diobu that are crisis-prone areas, peace has come to the areas too. At our end, we make sure vulnerable points are covered by troops. We have deployment in Diobu, Abonnema, Marine Base, Nembe Waterside, all the water fronts. All the vulnerable areas are secure. And that, maybe, is one of the reasons for the relative peace. We have regular patrol day and night. We have commenced inter-boundary patrol. The state government has given us tremendous assistance to fight this menace.
The government donated Hilux vans purely for inter-state boundary patrol. In the last one year, the state government under Governor Rotimi Amaechi, has done wonderfully well for us. They have assisted us in the areas of logistics, vehicles and many, many other things. We are most grateful to the government for the support. The government is the pillar of our operation as the case may be.
What is the JTF doing about Abonnema, Degema and other riverine parts of the state that appear to still be suffering this crisis situation. For instance, Abonnema looks deserted at the moment?
The JTF has extended its operations to the riverine areas. We have deployed troops in Abonnema, Degema. This is to reinforce the existing troops in Buguma. Efforts are on to penetrate the riverine communities. We do realize that the greatest challenge to the task force at present is the relocation of the militants from communities to the creeks to carry on their crimes. We will saturate the creeks and smoke them out as a way to check them.
That is why we have troops deployment in the riverine communities now. We are using gun boats in these riverine operations. Yes, Abonnema was in the news over crisis situation. It witnessed inter-cult and militant clashes. The JTF commander, in his own wisdom, decided to deploy troops in the area as a solution. In the last three days, our men have been very visible in the area to which calm has now returned.
Some people believe the JTF is prolonging the crisis in the region because it is benefiting from it. What do you say?
Let’s be a bit critical. The military did not start the crisis in the region neither did the JTF. We only came in to address the security challenges in the area. And in doing this we have been losing men. Would we for the sake of prolonging the crisis for what ever reason suffer this kind of casualty?
If not for God, who knows, may be the crisis would have also claimed me. So, tell me, what is the benefit of the crisis to any Nigerian soldier? For instance, I get only four hundred naira daily as allowance for this extra responsibility. And this amounts to twelve thousand naira monthly. It is the same thing for the commander of the JTF and all other men on ground. Is this why we will prolong the crisis?
We do not create the ugly situation. My brother, we are praying earnestly that this sad situation comes to an end. And let me say those accusing the JTF of prolonging the crisis are those threatened by what we are doing to secure the region. Let me go further, if an oil bunker making millions daily sees the JTF in action he feels threatened. Certainly, he will not be happy with the JTF. You are a militant making millions through kidnap and other related crimes, you will certainly not be happy with the presence of the JTF. This crisis in the region to a large extent has raised the financial status of many people in this country. They live on the crisis. So they don’t want it to come to an end.
Many people, I don’t need to mention names, are beneficiaries of the situation. It is a well known fact, a fact of history, that there are many people that this crisis has raised up. And any attempt to discontinue the crisis is not in their interest. Their survival, sustenance squarely depend on the crisis and therefore will not be happy to see the end of it. What does the JTF get as allowance? Absolutely nothing. We are having sleepless nights. Sometimes we lose men. And yet people are saying we are prolonging the crisis for selfish reasons. That is not true.
Let me say this also that withdrawal of JTF from any part of the region, just give twenty four hours, you will see the situation. There will be massive crisis. It has happened before. There was a time we withdrew from a duty location but what we saw forced us to send our troops back to the duty location. Abonnema, for instance, was in crisis for about two weeks but with deployment of troops now the area has been quiet. Look at Bonny, crisis was the order of the day there. Armed robbery, bank robbery, even the palace of the traditional ruler was razed, police men and soldiers were killed at separate times, all these necessitated the deployment of troops and gun boats in the general area. What we have now is peace.
The crisis has now come to a standstill because of the JTF. And whether people like it or not, the JTF is an asset security wise to the Niger Delta. Without the JTF the region will become ungovernable. It is a clear fact, people are aware of this. Those who are saying we are prolonging it know this. In a democracy opinion is free but we take solace in the fact that it is the larger reasonable members of the society that will determine whether JTF is performing or not. Generally, at this level, I am satisfied that all the relevant authorities in the region and beyond are happy with us.