Army chief visits P’Harcourt

It was learnt that the COAS had to personally lead a team of other top military officers to the headquarters of the 2nd Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt and meet with the commander, Brig. Gen. Samuel Salihu, to show the importance attached to the mission.

The whereabouts of the five foreigners remained unknown as at the press time on Monday, although the Chairman of the Emuohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Mr. Emeka Woke, was quoted as saying that the captors had demanded a ransom.

Aziza, who spoke to journalists at the Port Harcourt Barracks of the Nigerian Army, which serves as the base of the Joint Task Force, however said that his mission in the state was to meet with the commander and discuss how to do their work better. The army chief said, �I came to see my military commander and to discuss how to do our job better. My visit is not because of militants� attacks.

He said that the military authorities did not lose hope in the application of dialogue to resolve the crisis in the Niger Delta, since they believed that most of the militants� attacks were criminals and not borne out of any known ideology.

The COAS stated that the authorities were still discussing with the militants and that they were optimistic that the youths would have a change of mind and embrace dialogue.

He noted that hostage taking was not a military problem but a criminal act that needed to be handled by the relevant agency.

Aziza explained that since there was a body charged with the responsibility of fighting crimes, the military would continue to explore avenues of making the Niger Delta to be conducive for oil operations.

�No body is losing hope that the problem of the Niger Delta would be resolved and all of us are going to work together and put things right�, he said.

Aziza later held a closed door meeting with the JTF chairman and other top military officers in the brigade.