NIGERIA - THE ARMY SAYS OPOROZA COMMUNITY WAS NOT INVADED BY THE MILITARY AS WIDELY REPORTED

Armed forces authorities in the Niger Delta have debunked reports of a military operation into Oporoza, the headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West council area of Delta state in the early hours of Monday.

Some national dailies and online news outlets had Tuesday  reported a military invasion of Oporoza, in search of members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), a self-styled insurgent group, which had claimed responsibility for all recent destructions of oil and gas facilities in the creeks.

However, authorities at the 3 Battalion, Effunrun Barracks, Effunrun, Delta state, said the report of an invasion of Oporoza community was not true as there was no such operation as suggested by the report.

When the Nation spoke to the Commanding Officer of the cantonment, Major Monday Anzaku, Tuesday, he said he was not aware of any military invasion or special operation in Oporoza as suggested by the news reports.

“Believe be there no such thing as we have just read in the newspapers. This is my area we are talking about, how would there have been a military operation of the nature described by the newspapers without my knowledge? Even if such would be initiated from my headquarters, I would be instructed on what to do. The report is not true,” Anzaku said.

Also, reliable sources from the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, when reached to confirm if the command was involved in an operation at Oporoza on Monday, said there was no operation to the area, which involved them.

Although unable to reach the Commander of the NNS Delta, Commodore Raimi Mohammed, a very reliable source, when asked for confirmation simply relied ” negative”.

Meanwhile, a source from the community had told the Nation on Monday afternoon that there was no problem in the community. According to him “I have called and asked my people and they said there was nothing unusual, just the normal security patrols that come and go, nothing unusual”.

It would be recalled that several strategic oil and gas facilities, belonging mostly to Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), have been destroyed by the insurgent group.

President Muhammadu Buhari has also recently ordered the Nigerian armed forces to go after those behind the destructive activities, which has dipped Nigeria’s crude oil export by about 510,000 barrels of oil per day.

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