Brig. General Abubakar Rabe: issues warning on behalf of DHQ

Nigeria Defence Headquarters said in a statement on Wednesday that it will not succumb to blackmail in its efforts to flush out those it referred to as “economic saboteurs masquerading under whatever guise to perpetuate evils in the Niger Delta.”

The statement was obviously issued in response to the criticisms that have characterized its operations in the Niger Delta where there have been heavy deployments of soldiers and armaments in the past few days to fish out members of militant group, Niger Delta Avengers who have been sabotaging oil facilities and installations in the region.

In the statement signed by Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, Director of Defence Information, the military vowed that it will abandon its constitutional responsibility of ensuring that peace and security prevail throughout Nigeria.

The military also emphasized that its job is to secure infrastructural facilities and property of innocent citizens as well as containing the activities of criminal in the oil producing region.

It therefore described criticisms and allegations of human rights abuse leveled against its men as “campaign of calumny sponsored by paid agents.”

“The military is not unmindful of the campaign of calumny against our soldiers by paid agents claiming that soldiers are harassing members of the public while performing their constitutional responsibility.

“ It is pertinent to state that it is the same group of people that are wreaking havoc on the critical national assets that are blackmailing the Armed Forces and other security agencies to divert attention.

“The military and other security agencies will continue to discharge their lawful duties in the Niger Delta and any other part of the country in a most professional manner devoid of the claim by the criminal elements of harassment, intimidation and arrest. Our job is to secure infrastructural facilities and property of innocent citizens as well as containing the activities of criminal.

“The blackmail by sponsored persons would not deter the military from been focused and committed in its effort to fish out the vandals as the whole world is seeing what the so called Militants are criminally doing in the attacks  of oil pipelines.

“The security measure put in place is not meant to intimidate any innocent individuals but to bring normalcy to our land. We urge the communities and well meaning Nigerians to cooperate with the security agencies in their bid to apprehend the perpetrators.

”The military would respond decisively in a professional manner at appropriate time,” Rabe said in the statement.