The Federal Government yesterday said there is no foreign military force in the troubled Niger Delta and that Nigerian forces are capable of keeping peace in the region.
Minister of Defence, Ambassador Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, and the Minister of State, Chief Michael Onolememem, told newsmen in Abuja that a publication in one of the national dailies (not THISDAY) alleging that Chinese soldiers have been hired by the Federal Government to police the Niger Delta is not only false but also baseless and a disservice to the nation.
The Ministers said there is no need for the engagement of foreign soldiers as Nigerian military were capable of containing the situation.
�No one should be in doubt at the capacity and capability of our forces in dealing with the Niger Delta problem�, they said pointing out that the country is not at war with anybody.
On the trouble in the Niger Delta, the Ministers noted that �we are dealing with our brothers and sisters� and would not just react to it the same way as if they were enemies.�
�We have chosen the path of peace and dialogue because we can�t crush our own brothers�, the ministers stressed.
They, however, disclosed that Nigeria has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with about 25 countries in the area of military training.
According to the Ministers, the initiatives carried out by the present PDP government in the Niger Delta region surpasses all other initiatives taken by any other government in the last 46 years.
Jan242007