MEMO TO THE JOINT MILITARY TASK FORCE IN RIVERS STATE
Commander Sir, I salute you. This may be a very abnormal channel but the
only available option to expeditiously reach you. With the peculiar
situations that surrounded the recent attack or rather harassment and
subsequent kidnap of a member of one of the most highly respected
families in the entire Niger Delta, Chief Lulu Briggs, this memo became
very necessary not only to condemn the cowardly act by whosoever was
responsible but also to let you know some ‘interesting observations’
concerning your response or rather handling of the crime.
With the heavy presence of soldiers, naval and air force personnel under
the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Port Harcourt, it was very
surprising that criminal gangs or militants would dare to invade a
victim few meters from your operational headquarters, very few meters
from the SSS Headquarters, and even fewer meters from three major police
divisional/area offices. It was even more surprising that the criminals
operated for about an hour unhindered and unchallenged.
Several highly respected residents of the neighbourhood are ready to
publicly testify that they alerted both the JTF and the Rivers State
Police Commissioner of the incident when the gang started sporadic
shootings. In his defence, the police commissioner was quoted as haven
said: “An armoured personnel carrier (APC) was heading towards the scene
from Mile One Police Station but suddenly ran out fuel.” What a pity! Though the SSS is yet to give its explanation for failing to act or
rather encourage the JTF and Police to act, let’s leave them out of this
for now because of the agency’s closed system of operation.
Commander, you are fully aware that your spokesperson in defence of the
task force’ failure to act said: “We (JTF) are yet to fully employ
military operation in containing the spate crisis. We (JTF) are mindful
that the quagmire is a family creation and therefore the need for other
options in resolving the crisis becomes imperative. Even though military
solution is the most serious in this circumstance, we will exercise
restraint knowing that other non-military options matter in dealing with
the situation”. Please tell the public the yardstick you are going to
use in assessing criminal situations on the spot to know the ones to
intervene and the ones to restrain.
Commander, comparing the JTF operation in Warri with the situation that
brought the taskforce to Port Harcourt is an aberration and unaccepted
because there is no single similarity between the two different kinds of
crisis.
The Warri case was an outright inter-tribal clash or war between two
clearly-defined distinct groups- the Ijaws and the Itsekiris. In Port
Harcourt, the violence has never been an inter-tribal conflict rather it
was a complete breakdown of law and order where a few young people were
armed by a few selfish older ones to harass, intimidate and most times
kill anybody even members of their tribes, communities and families. So to observe a deadly incident of the very crime/crisis that brought
the JTF to Port Harcourt in the first instance happen without your doing
anything because you are not in ‘full military operation in the state’
was not only suspect of an outright negligence, but at worst an
indictment of complicity in the crime.
Though you are not in full military operation in Rivers state as your
spokesperson claimed, you heard or were informed of fierce shootings few
meters from your position, every reasonable person would have expected
the JTF to use other tactics to ward-off the criminals and ensure they
don’t succeed even without engaging them in direct gun battle as you
claim you are not in military operation (partial or full) in the state.
You could have also ensured that all escape routes from the scene of the
crime were properly cordoned off to cage the invading criminals. All
these, you failed to do.
The vexing aspect of this latest crime was that it happened in the heart
of Port Harcourt Old GRA very few meters from the JTF operational
headquarters. Even the SSS headquarters is also few meters away not to
talk of the three police stations around the area, yet the gun fire and
the crime lasted for about an hour. How can anybody explain it if not to
allege complicity of not only the JTF but other security agencies in the
state?
The JTF and other security agencies must muster the will power to be
honest in this campaign because that is the only way enduring peace can
be achieved in the state and in the Niger Delta in general. The poor
handling of the Lulu Briggs’ attack by the JTF, SSS, and Police could be
interpreted to insinuate power tussle among the three security apparatus
which may have gotten to the point of each undermining the other. This
is not good enough for the sustenance of the commendable level of peace
and security already achieved in the fight against cultism and other
criminal gangsterism
Needless to point out that the outward indiscipline of JTF officers on
the street of Port Harcourt and environs in recent times is threatening
to overtake that of Police officers that is if it has not already
overtaken it. Between Eleme Junction and Imo River Bridge (Oyigbo),
there are three-four JTF road blocks plus another two sole manned by the
Police. At these points, the JTF officers are not concerned about
militants or cultists rather the barricades are purely coercion point
for cash drive from commercial vehicles operators, fuel tankers and
tipper trucks conveying sand from Imo River into the Port Harcourt
metropolis. Commander, I know that you are not aware that your men are
collecting N50-N100 from buses and other commercial vehicles any time
they cross these points. You may need to investigate this allegation. The scenario is the same from Eleme Junction to Onne Junction. Inside
the metropolis, in Diobu, Old Port Harcourt Township, Amadi-Abuloma axis
the story of JTF’s extortion and glaring indiscipline even consumption
of alcohol on uniform has become an open secret. Sir, you are being
bothered with these information against the background of the quality of
discipline code of conduct which the Military not the Police was known
for in times gone by. How many of your officers have you court
marshalled for misconduct on the streets of Port Harcourt? Defence
Headquarters Abuja may need to be fully informed.
By the way, Commander, your officers on the streets alleged that they “seek public assistance” because they have not been paid their upkeep
allowance for months. Is it true? Has the state government not been
giving you monthly allowances for each JTF officer currently engaged in
peace keeping mission in Port Harcourt. There is no need for
explanations on the allegation just look inwards and do some house
cleaning or sanitizing.
Commander Sir, once again, you need to be reminded that the Port
Harcourt operation is absolutely different from your exploit in Warri.
The approach and mindset has to be very different to achieve the desired
result to justify your stay in the area as peace keepers not an
occupation force.
We, the entire peace loving people of Rivers state love you and your
men. Salute them that do good works at their duty posts and those that
do evil, warn them to repent because they bring reproach to the good
officers and the entire good-intentioned JTF operation in Niger Delta
and Port Harcourt in particular. Grow in grace and in the will power to
be honest.
By: MATILDA NENGI -AMIOFORI
18 WOPARA CLOSE, TRANS-AMADI, PORT HARCOURT.