Less than 48 hours to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Nigerian Navy on Thursday deployed warships and patrol crafts in the creeks of Niger Delta region.
Our correspondent learnt that the deployment, handled by the NNS Delta, Warri Naval Base, was initiated to ensure hitch-free poll and safeguard strategic oil equipment in the region.
The Commanding Officer, NNS Delta, Navy Capt. Mufutau Ajibade, personally supervised the movement of personnel and equipment to various locations along the waterways in the region in Warri on Thursday.
Two warships, NNS Obula and NNS Nwamba as well as many Rapid Response Boats and In-shore Patrol Crafts sailed from the jetty of NNS Delta on Thursday morning, with full compliment of personnel, arms and ammunition.
The naval personnel and facilities were mandated to embark on regular patrol of waterways before, during and after the elections to prevent unsavoury activities capable of truncating the electoral process.
Our correspondent learnt that Forcados and Escravos in Delta State would serve as operational bases of the naval team.
The team was also mandated to keep surveillance over strategic oil installations to nip possible attacks by aggrieved persons in the bud.
Independent Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice – Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye, directed the action in view of the violence, which accompanied the outcome of last Saturday�s governorship and House of Assembly elections in some states of the federation.
It was gathered that Adekeye was of the opinion that those dissatisfied with the outcome of next Saturday�s elections might decide to engage the Niger Delta militants to cause unrest and attack oil installations in the region.