'Don't confront my government,' Buhari warns militants

dimeji akinloye

May 20, 2016 7:08 PM

The President also assured oil companies operating in the Niger Delta that his administration is making frantic efforts to safeguard their personnel.

President Muhammadu Buhari

President

The President also assured oil companies operating in the Niger Delta that his administration is making frantic efforts to safeguard their personnel and strategic assets in the region.

Buhari stated this on Friday, May 20, at meeting with the Global Director (Upstream) of the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Andrew Brown.

He said that he has directed the Chief of Naval Staff to reorganise and strengthen the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta to deal effectively with the resurgence of militancy and the sabotage of oil facilities.

The President stressed that the operations of the JTF are also being enhanced with increased support and cooperation from the United States and Europe in the areas of training, intelligence, equipment and logistics.

“We have to be very serious with the situation in the Niger Delta because it threatens the national economy. I assure you that everything possible will be done to protect personnel and oil assets in the region,” he said.

READ: Militants destroy Chevron facility in Warri North

He urged aggrieved persons, militants and communities in the Niger Delta to drop their confrontational stance and work with those who have been charged by the Federal Government to review the Amnesty Programme initiated by the Yar’Adua administration for the benefit of all parties.

The militants had on Friday (today) blown up a section of the Escravos gas pipeline behind Salvation city, Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South West local government area of the state.

dimeji akinloye