NEW PLATFORMS: NAVY VOWS TO CRUSH MARITIME CRIMINALITY.

NEW PLATFORMS: NAVY VOWS TO CRUSH MARITIME CRIMINALITY.

Following the recent delivery of more platforms by the Nigerian Navy, the authorities of the Central Naval Command CNC yesterday warned the pockets of militants and others engaging in criminal activities in the creeks of the Niger Delta to retrace their step or get crushed.

The Flag Officer Commanding, CNC, with headquarters in Yenagoa, Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba, issued the warning on his assumption of Command.

Garba, who had earlier met with unit Commanders of various components of the Central Naval Command to assess the current performance of the command along with the expectations from the men and officers, said the Navy had acquired the capacity to flush out recent resurgence of pockets of militant activities in the region.

The seventh FOC asserted that the Central Naval Command under his leadership would pursue a zero tolerance stance against oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal oil bunkering in line with the strategic directive of the Chief of Naval Staff.

“I wish to emphasize that there will be no hiding place for oil thieves as the Command has intensified patrol of her Area of Responsibility with recent delivery of more platforms by the Nigerian Navy.

“With the recent resurgence of pockets of militant activities, I wish to specifically call on these groups of people to desist from criminal activities capable of entrenching security breach in the Niger Delta.

“They have no constituency as all well-meaning and law abiding Nigerians will not want to associate with the militants, I therefore urge these criminal gangs to revert to legitimate business or face the wrath of the law,” Garba said.

The FOC appealed to members of the public to report suspicious activities to security agencies in a timely manner for swift response to curb criminality in the Niger Delta region.

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