The Bayelsa State Government has restated its preparedness to support the Military on efforts geared towards stamping out pipeline vandalisation and crude oil theft in the state. Governor Seriake Dickson, who stated this when the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba visited him in Government House, Yenagoa, emphasised that no amount of assistance to the security agencies is too much in view of the colossal damage the vices have wreaked on the nation’s economy.
The Governor said it is in realisation of this that his administration has been making proper investment in security, which he noted, is yielding positive results.
According to Hon. Dickson, “Bayelsa State has transited from being a constant national flashpoint to now being on the vanguard of stability and security within the past one year.
He however admitted the prevalence of illegal bunkering, crude oil theft and refining activities in the state and expressed the determination of the present state administration to fight against the scourge.
According to him, the State Government would do everything possible to ensure that the 15 fast-moving patrol gunboats it recently acquired and handed over to security agencies were soon put to use.
“The weakness and vulnerability that you have identified clearly comes from the creeks (waterways) because in the last one year the measures we have taken are such that criminals find the upland areas and the state capital too hot for their comfort. And, we have discovered the
way they are operating. The hotter the city and its environs become, they take refuge in the creeks that they know very well.
“This has been a recurring decimal in all our security council deliberations. So, we are delighted that the military has now come up with this renewed vigour arising from the charge that has been given by the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces to flush out those criminal elements.”
The Governor, who commended the Federal Government for the establishment of the Central Naval Command in the State, assured the naval authorities of his administration’s readiness to
partner with them to ensure the setting up of ancillary facilities such as schools, hospitals and recreational centres.
Hon. Dickson also lauded the military for promoting professionalism and selfless service among its rank and file, noting that these qualities have earned the country much respect.
“We are also very happy and proud that our military has become so professional and respectable not only within but also outside the country.
Earlier, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba bemoaned military personnel who connive with criminals in perpetrating the menace and urged them to turn a new leaf in the interest of the country.
Vice Admiral Ezeoba, who said the visit, was to solicit support of the Governor, also called on government to provide the enabling environment for proper prosecution of culprits.
“Another area that borders us very prominently in this fight is that in the trinity of actions which encapsulates surveillance, response initiative and enforcement, little or nothing is done
with regards to enforcement. You arrest somebody who has been categorically defined as a criminal, two or three days after he walks the streets as a freeman. What does it do to your psyche as the individual who is fighting the war? So we need to redefine the enforcement structure. Our institutions (the judiciary must be given the bite to deal with this important aspect of the fight”.
