Is the JTF Losing The Niger Delta War?
By Chris Ajaero & Godfrey Azubike
Monday, September 22, 2008
Militants launch all-out war on oil installations, claiming to have killed many soldiers of the Joint Military Task Force
There are more than 25 densely populated water-fronts in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. They harbour both militants and civilians. Houses in these waterfronts are made of wood and corrugated iron sheets while their narrow streets are just wide enough to allow two persons walk pass each other.
The waterfronts sit on swampy or marshy land just close to the river. The river itself is dirty and polluted because of the discharge of solid waste. Two of the waterfronts, namely, the Marine Base waterfront and Abuja waterfront have become notorious because they are considered as havens for the militant gangs in the Niger Delta who recently declared an "oil war" against the Joint Military Task Force, JTF. The battle is code named Operation Hurricane Babarossa.
The unwieldy nature of the waterfronts and the creeks are some of the reasons the JTF is finding it difficult to effectively cage the militants after nearly two years in the area. The waterfronts serve as escape routes for the criminals whenever there is an attempt to attack them.
Musa Sagir, a lt. col and spokesman of the JTF in Rivers State, admitted last week, that the shanty waterfronts pose a hindrance and security risk for soldiers in their quest to flush out the militants. He told Newswatch that the waterfronts serve as hide-outs for the militants and as exit routes through which they escape to the creeks. "Whenever the criminals are pursued by the JTF and they run down to the waterfront, they escape easily. Once they enter that place, their waiting boats will always be there to take them back to the creeks," he said.
And in most of the battles in the creeks, the militants appear to have the upper hand because they understand the terrain better than the JTF. Sagir told Newswatch that the "nature of the creeks is such that you can’t go there with the normal gunboat." The approach most appropriate is by air and JTF does not want to launch such an attack because of the collateral damages it would cause to the lives of innocent citizens and oil installations . "We know they (militants) are in the creeks but people are also living there. Some of the people who live there are fishermen. What do you do to ensure that innocent people are not caught up in the crossfire?... That has been the dilemma of the Niger Delta crisis," Sagir told Newswatch.
The JTF’s position on the handicap posed by the waterfronts is illustrated in their failed attempt to eliminate Soboma George, leader of one of the militant gangs known as The Outlaws. George had escaped death by the whiskers on August 16, last year when the JTF attacked his hide-out in Marine Base, Port Harcourt. At that time when George and Ateke Tom, leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Movement, NDVM, terrorised Port Harcourt, the JTF had launched a three-pronged attack on George’s hide-out with the army on the ground, the navy at the sea and the airforce by air.
George escaped a few minutes before the soldiers struck because he was alerted by informants that danger was lurking. Military authorities were alarmed that George survived the onslaught after the JTF had claimed that he was killed during the operation because both his house located at the Black Man’s Estate, Marine Base and Iyalla Hotel where he reportedly lodged were bombed.
The JTF soldiers received security reports that George escaped through one of the exit routes created by the militants in the Port Harcourt waterfronts. According to them, the waterfronts serve as "observation and exit" routes for the militants whenever there was an attempt by the JTF to flush them out.
Officers of the JTF have made efforts to explain their constraints to the government. Chibuike Amaechi, governor of Rivers State, was recently conducted round the Abuja waterfront by Sarkin Yaki Bello, JTF commander in the state. The tour was an eye-opener for the governor. He saw for himself the "observation and exit" routes created by the militants in the waterfront. Newswatch learnt that from the observation posts in the waterways in Abuja waterfront, the militants monitor the approaching JTF patrol boats and vehicles. Whenever they sense danger, they alert their leaders and they escape into the creeks thereby evading the attack by soldiers. This has frustrated several efforts by the JTF to apprehend or eliminate some of the militant kingpins.
It was against this background that the JTF recently made a case for the demolition of the waterfronts. Amaechi has not made any categorical pronouncement as to whether his administration would demolish the waterfronts or not. But Blessing Wikina, his chief press secretary, told Newswatch that the development of the slums of Port Harcourt was part of the urban renewal programme initiated by Alfred Diette-Spiff, first military governor of the state in the 1970s. Wikina was, however, diplomatic in asserting government’s position on the issue. He said: "The governor swore an oath to protect lives and properties in the state. And if the waterfronts, particularly the ones identified by the security agents pose a problem to them in their task of effectively caging the criminals, the government will take a decision on it."
Newswatch, however, learnt that Amaechi is hesitant in taking a decision on this issue because of the controversy that trailed the idea in 2007 when Celestine Omehia, his predecessor announced his administration’s plan to demolish the waterfronts. Already, some natives of Rivers State have reacted angrily to the latest proposal by the JTF for government to demolish the waterfronts. Chris Ekiyor, president, Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, opposed the proposal. He said if the recommendation was adopted by government, thousands of poverty stricken persons would be displaced and punished for the crimes of a few miscreants. "Demolition is going to create more problems. People that were displaced from Rainbow town were never resettled and their lives have been dislocated. It created more criminals and destitute. For every decision of government, the pros and cons must be checked and we should always consider what is advantageous to the poverty stricken people who are the majority in these waterfronts," Ekiyor said.
Tom, leader of the NDVM, brought an ethnic colouration into the issue. He described the proposal as a programmed attack on the riverine areas of the state; especially the Ijaws whom he claimed own 80 percent of the waterfronts. That is not the only problem JTF faces. Among its ranks and files, there are also saboteurs. Newswatch learnt that some of the bad eggs within the JTF connive with the militants to sabotage the nation’s economy through illegal bunkering. It was gathered that some of the soldiers who make a lot of money through illegal bunkering activities work hand-in-hand with the militants and even leak information to them whenever JTF planned to launch an attack on their camps. Some of the JTF officers were alleged to have become millionaires due to their deals with the militants and are therefore, reluctant to launch attacks on the militant kingpins even though they know their hide-outs in the creeks.
Paul Dike, air chief marshal and chief of defence staff, confirmed the existence of saboteurs within the JTF last Wednesday. During his visit to the JTF camp in Port Harcourt, Dike warned that military authorities were now fully out to deal with soldiers involved in illegal bunkering in connivance with militants describing it as economic sabotage.
He was emphatic that information at his disposal revealed that a few black legs among the soldiers leak information to the militants thus weakening the position of the soldiers. Sagir also admitted that there are bad eggs within the JTF but said many of them who were found to have compromised were sanctioned. "I can tell you that we have had reasons to dismiss soldiers for various offences. Any soldier who goes against the standing rule guiding our operation in the Niger Delta is dealt with militarily," he said.
One other factor that has prolonged the battle against the militants is the mandate of JTF which is to enforce peace in the Niger Delta. It does not allow them to engage the militants in a full scale war. Sagir said although they were determined to contain the militants, there is a limit to which they could go in the battle so as not to be accused of staging "a full scale war on the people we are constitutionally empowered to protect."
Rabe Abubakar, co-ordinator of the JTF media campaign centre in Warri, Delta State, also told Newswatch that soldiers have always applied caution while waging war against the militants in order not to harm innocent citizens in the areas where the bandits have their camps. He recalled that recently when the JTF invaded Agge Community in Ekeremor Local Government area of Bayelsa State in a bid to dislodge militants there, many Nigerians condemned their action.
The political ties which some of the militant gang leaders have with top politicians in the Niger Delta have equally made them sacred cows. Sources in the JTF told Newswatch that in Bayelsa and Delta states, some public officers hob-nob with the militants and even pay them huge sums of money monthly to persuade them to remain calm. It was gathered that the relative peace that had been witnessed in these two states in recent times was based on this understanding between the politicians and militant leaders.
According to sources, Government Ekpompolo, popularly called Tomo Polo, leader of Camp 5 in Delta State, wields a lot of influence among politicians and oil company chiefs who pay him millions of Naira so that he would persuade his fellow militants not to cause trouble. His camp is said to be a Mecca of sorts for politicians who are aware of his ability to control fellow militants. This was why Goodluck Jonathan, the vice-president, allegedly visited Tom Polo’s camp in June, last year, shortly after the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration assumed office. Newswatch learnt that as part of Tom Polo’s deal with the politicians, he was given the opportunity to nominate a candidate who is currently serving as a commissioner in the Delta State government.
JTF troops are aware of the unholy alliance between these militants and the politicians. Consequently, they allow such powerful militants to move about freely even though they know they are criminals masquerading as freedom fighters. This makes the war against the militants complex and complicated for the JTF as they are sometimes warned by politicians to spare the bandits who serve as their loyal political thugs.
Newswatch gathered that it was because Amaechi of Rivers State vowed not to patronise the militants that angered them, hence the ongoing oil war has been restricted to Rivers State.
The renewed hostilities by the militants in some parts of Rivers State in the past few days is, therefore, a grand design by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Nigeria Delta, MEND, to make the state ungovernable for Amaechi because he is not patronising them. In a statement issued by MEND when it declared the "oil war" on Sunday, September 14, it said the militants would hold Amaechi "accountable for the genocide."
But Gbomo Jomo, spokesman of MEND explained that the war was in response to what it termed the unprovoked aerial and marine attacks by the JTF on Saturday, September 13, at Elem-Tombia and Ogboma in Degema Local Government area of Rivers State. He threatened all international vessels that approach the region to beware as MEND was determined to carry out destructive and deadly attacks on the oil industry in Rivers State. "All international oil and gas loading vessels entering the region are warned to drop anchor in the high sea or divert elsewhere until further notice. Failure to comply is taking a foolhardy risk of attack and destruction of the vessel," MEND said.
It also advised oil companies to evacuate their staff from their field facilities "because a hurricane is about to sweep through oil installations in the entire Niger Delta." The group disparaged the creation of the Niger Delta ministry by President Yar’Adua, saying it was just meant to hoodwink the people of the region.
In order to demonstrate that its threat was not an empty one, the militants attacked the Soku Gas plant and Chevron platform at Kula, Rivers State on Sunday, September 14. MEND claimed that during the attack, 22 soldiers were killed by the militants. The militants followed it up with a dawn raid on the oil flow station of Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, in Alakiri, Rivers State. The militants blew up the flow station. Newswatch gathered that the attack left many oil workers injured and some dead. This was because the militants detonated dynamites and bombs on the oil flow station.
Following the attack, about 50,000 barrels per day of oil and 120 million cubic feet of gas were shut-in at Alakiri. As a precautionary measure, the SPDC which confirmed the attack down-manned facilities in some field locations in the Niger Delta.
Last Wednesday, the militants continued their offensive as they attacked the SPDC flow station at Orubiri and another one at Rumuekpe jointly owned by SDPC and Agip. MEND claimed that 18 soldiers who were guarding the facilities were killed. It claimed that by their action, the militants have proved that they were capable of prosecuting the "oil war" against the soldiers.
But Emeka Onwuamaegbu, brigadier general and spokesman of the Nigerian Army, warned the militants to beat a retreat as the soldiers were poised to defend the country against internal aggression. "No matter the increase in the fire power of any group in this country, they cannot overwhelm the armed forces of Nigeria. We are a well-trained group of people… And anybody daring the Nigerian Army or the Nigerian military is just living in a fool’s paradise because we are well trained, we are well equipped, we are conducting what we call internal security operations, applying minimum force to contain the situation," Onwuamaegbu said. He urged the Niger Delta people not to panic, as the Nigerian Army was capable of repelling the violence perpetrated by the militants.
Sagir, JTF’s spokesman in Rivers State, also dismissed the claims by MEND that it had killed many soldiers in the conflict as mere propaganda. According to him, only one soldier has been injured since the renewed hostilities. He insisted that JTF has not lost any of its men in the "oil war." Sagir advised Rivers people not to be apprehensive because "the JTF, from all indications, is on top of the situation, and the situation is under control."
Although the militants were yet to launch an attack either in Delta State or Bayelsa State, last week, the JTF in Warri has warned the militants to steer clear of all oil facilities in its area of operation or be ready to face the wrath of soldiers. Wuyep Rimtip, brigadier-general and commander of the JTF in Warri, said "any attack against oil facilities or JTF personnel will be tantamount to declaration of war on JTF and will be matched with all ferociousness."
Following the escalation of the "oil war" with its attendant consequences on the nation’s economy, Niger Delta elders held a secret meeting with some of the militants in Warri last Monday to persuade them to cease fire.
Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, former federal commissioner for information, who presided over the meeting, said some of the militant leaders had agreed to withdraw their "boys" who had already been deployed to damage oil installations in Rivers State and other parts of the region. He appealed to the federal government to call the armed forces to declare a truce to ensure the success of the peace initiative in the region. "I am happy to say that I have spoken to the boys to drop the idea of a full scale war in the Niger Delta and allow dialogue between the elders and the government and to enable the government to execute its programmes of development in the Niger Delta. I am confident that they will call off their declaration of war," Clark said.
But as at press time last week, the militants were yet to observe a ceasefire. Worried by the effect of the clashes between MEND and JTF on the economy as well as the loss of lives in the conflagration, some individuals and groups now think that the use of military force to address militancy in the Niger Delta has failed to achieve the desired results. For instance, the Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition, NDSC, had after its recent meeting in Port Harcourt, said that "the persistent reliance on military security only or ad hoc responses to militia and criminal violence has palpably failed."
In a statement jointly signed by Anyakwee Nsirimovu and Ledum Mitee, chairman, and vice-chairman respectively of NDSC, the group called on Niger Delta state governments to support a new strategic direction that would create a conducive environment for the civil society and other credible third party engagement initiative.
Similarly, Onegiya Erokosima, chairman of the Niger Delta Non-Violent Movement, said that it is only by spreading the gospel of non-violence to the militants that they would be persuaded to embrace peace. He told Newswatch that he has reached out to many of the militant gang leaders, especially Ateke Tom, leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Movement, NDVM, and they were ready to renounce violence. He, however, appealed to the government to grant amnesty to the militants so that they could feel free to leave the creeks and join the larger society to live in peace and harmony. He kicked against the clamour by some people for the withdrawal of the JTF. "If you withdraw the JTF without granting amnesty to the militants, there will be more trouble. But with the presence of the JTF, many militants will be ready to embrace the gospel of non-violence," he said.
Ignatius Hekaire Ajuru, Nigeria’s former ambassador to Ukraine, told Newswatch that he was not comfortable with the militarisation of the Niger Delta, but the presence of the JTF has helped to bring a semblance of peace and order in Rivers State. "I think their presence is necessary at this time to help restore peace and stability to Rivers State even though I don’t think it is necessary to militarise Rivers State," Ajuru said.
Glory Chika Nsiegbe, a.k.a. Anointed Man of God in Grace of Christ Mustard Mission, Port Harcourt told Newswatch that it is necessary for the JTF to weed out some of the black legs who are not committed to the task of flushing out the militants. He said that the militants were terrorising the Niger Delta because some corrupt soldiers who are benefiting from the crisis, hob-nob with them. "The JTF should have the political will to flush out the militant kingpins and this will definitely compel MEND to cease hostilities," Nsiegbe said.
For Macaulay Okolugbo, president, Delight Production Limited, the current hostilities by the militants have shown that Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb which could explode if the Niger Delta question is not effectively tackled.
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