Lt. Col, 11 Other Soldiers Feared Killed

Oporoza and Okerenkoko have for days been the theatre of military action, where troops have razed the homes of fleeing natives allegedly giving a helping hand to insurgents who hold Nigerians and foreigners hostage.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) had countered on Wednesday that the bombardment is nothing but a ploy by Abuja to wipe out Ijaw communities to facilitate the business of Generals milking the creeks.

The MEND vowed reprisals on troops who it said “desecrated” Ijaw land.

Joint Task Force (JTF) Commander, Major General Sarkin Bello, confirmed that one officer and 11 other soldiers are Missing In Action (MIA), and that efforts are on to retrieve their bodies.

He held a press conference on Thursday in Warri, where he declared wanted militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo (also known as Tom Polo), and his cohorts for atrocities committed against the federation.

Bello urged Nigerians to give useful information to the JTF that would lead to his arrest and prosecution.

He warned that militants are in for hard times, as the JTF is building a data base on them.

He paraded before journalists what he called one-fifth of the arms and ammunition recovered from Iroko Camp, Oporoza, and Okerenkoko, and said a ship conveying the remaining weapons would soon berth in Warri.

He asked Tom Polo to give “himself up,” because he “must be held responsible for all the attacks on Nigerian soldiers.

“When I resumed here,” Bello recalled, “the first thing I did was to extend an olive branch to Tom Polo, appealing to him to give up militancy; but he did not take it.

“The JTF has declared Tom Polo wanted. I appeal to Nigerians wherever they see him to report to the JTF. We will bring all those responsible for the missing soldiers to justice.”

However, it was learnt that Tom Polo may have slipped out through the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.

Bello also disclosed that seven members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) trapped at Gbaramatu were rescued after a search by troops that lasted five hours.

He added that the JTF is still combing the creeks for the remaining hostages, stressing that “if I arrest Tom Polo, I will get intelligence report where those people are being kept.”

He defended the operation and applauded his officers for performing creditably in the onslaught and keeping to the rules of engagement.

He said the operation was painstakingly planned and carefully carried out in a region where the media have “mystified” insurgents, whom the Army is equipped to dislodge to ensure economic growth.

Bello maintained that no amount of outpouring of emotion by the public would deter the military from taking the fight to its logical conclusion, describing the militants as rag tag.

His words: “I am highly satisfied with the conduct of the operation. We carefully planned to attack the militants camps. It was a very simple operation involving the Air Force, the Navy and the Army.

“No innocent person was targeted and will be targeted. That will be irresponsible. I ordered a pin-point, tactical helicopter attack on Tom Polo hideout.

“This operation is still on going, and I have made it clear that we are not attacking Ijaw people. We are attacking those who killed soldiers and take foreigners hostage.”

Bello said he has met with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and donor agencies on how to supply relief materials to victims, even as the JTF does not deny access to the area, only warning people traveling there to be cautious.

He was, however, silent on reports that soldiers now target Edo, Bayelsa, and Ondo States.

“All that we have been doing is based on intelligence report. We are in Gbaramatu now and we will remain there until we finish with the militants there. We destroyed Camp Five because the place was being used to train militants.”

JTF Spokesman, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, expressed optimism that the remaining hostages would be rescued as the operation continues, with the backing of the Presidency.

It was learnt that President Umaru Yar’Adua has ordered the search of the homes of palaces of traditional rulers in towns and villages where militants are hiding.

This follows the alleged discovery of a large cache of arms at the palace of Ogeh Gbaran III, the Agadagba of Gbaramatu in Oporoza, by the JTF on Wednesday.

Defence Headquarters had urged Niger Delta villagers to provide information on the movement of militants, and that traditional rulers should cooperate with the military.

A source in Aso Rock said when Yar’Adua was briefed by the Defence Headquarters on Gbaramatu he was angry at the conduct of Gbaran who allegedly allowed the storage of arms in his palace.

Yar’Adua reportedly gave permission to soldiers to search all palaces, as well as arrest any traditional ruler in whose palace arms are found.

Defence Headquarters Spokesman, Chris Jemitola, a Colonel, did not confirm or deny the story, but reiterated that “the JFT has the mandate to shoot back at anyone who shoots at them, not minding the sanctity of the place the assailants are hiding.

“I am not saying they are going to comb palaces, churches, mosques or any other place considered sacred, but they will retaliate if any shot is fired at them from any of such places.

“The soldiers have the right to search such places to see if any arm or ammunition is hidden there, after the assailants must have been dislodged.”

Federal lawmakers also gave a nod to the military incursion in Delta and its extension to Bayelsa and Rivers.

The House of Representatives resolved that militants should surrender their arms in line with the amnesty gesture from Yar’Adua in the interest of peace.

The resolution came from a motion tabled by Halims Agoda, (Delta, PDP), who noted the efforts of the Federal Government to pacify the genuine feelings in the Niger Delta through a master plan of development.

Terngu Tsegba (PDP, Benue) was among those who fired salvos against the motion, saying: “While we sympathise with the casualty rate on the part of civilians, we must not surrender our security to the charlatans called militants.”

Minority Leader, Aliyu Ndume, said military action in the present situation is inevitable because the militants want to take over the entire region.

Deami Kunaiyi Akpana (Rivers PDP) disagreed with Ndume, insisting that “when you throw a bomb and burn down entire village, we cannot say we are killing the militants.”

Speaker Dimeji Bankole explained that the military action should be taken in good faith, noting that both Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike and Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, are from the Niger Delta and would be patriotic in the operation.

In Asaba, the Delta State Government has constituted a panel of 12 members to examine the problem confronting those affected by the conflict and proffer palliatives.

A statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Ifeanyi Okowa, named Kingsley Otuaro as the Chairman of the Committee.

Also on Thursday, Bello conducted Uduaghan round a cache of arms the JTF recovered from militants, among them anti-aircraft guns, grenade launchers, assault riffles, dynamite, and bomb making equipment.