TRACKING____Bayelsa State is the southernmost State in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, whose southern part borders the Atlanta Ocean, has been playing host to the Nigerian military ever since crude oil was discovered in commercial large quantity in Oloibiri, a community in Bayelsa State in the 1956/58 by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
The presence of the military in Bayelsa State since 1956/58 was to protect oil installations, personnels and to curb the menace of pipeline vandalism, but in recent years the modus operandi of the soldiers stationed in Bayelsa State has changed, to the extent that any acts of provocation caused by suspected miscreants of the communities, will be met with reprisal attack on the communities leading to the burning of properties in these communities and dispersing the indigenes to seek refuge in the forest and riverboats for days on end.
This sad situation in Bayelsa State in recent times, had forced the House of Representatives members from Bayelsa State under the aegis of ‘Bayelsa State Caucus’ in the House of Representatives to move a motion on the floor of the House during plenary on Thursday titled, ” Urgent Need To Stopped The Regular Invasion And Destruction Of Communities In Bayelsa State By The Nigerian Military.”
While adopting the motion, the House urged the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Gabriel Olonisakin to “order the immediate halt further invasion and destruction of communities in Bayelsa State in whatever guise.” The House also mandated it House Committee on Defence to ‘investigate these actions by the military and report back to the House within six weeks for further legislative actions. In deliberating on the motion, the House quoted the roles of the Armed Forces as prescribed by section 217 of the 1999 Constitution.
The ‘Bayelsa State Caucus’ while presenting the motion said, ” recently there was a military operation near Foropa in Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency in Bayelsa State, that led to military invasion of communities in the Foropa area, burning houses and properties. This operation has heightened the fear of the people of the communities, with the added information that the military will return again to burn the community as they have done to several communities in Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta region in general like: Letugbene, Agge, Bilabiri 1 and 2, Azagbene etc.”
The sponsors of the motion continued that, “the invasion and destruction of a community is now the pattern adopted by the Nigerian military in Bayelsa State whenever indigenes from these communities are suspected to have carried out any acts against oil installations. It puts he innocent and law-abiding citizens of the area in double jeopardy, as they suffer attacks from the same unguided elements who rob and terrorise people and reprisal attacks from our tax-funded military. This is devastating enough for people who are citizens of this country.”
After the motion presentation by the Bayelsa State Caucus, the House is convinced that a globally respected Armed Force such as the Nigerian military cannot afford to exhibits such uncivilized acts even in the face of provocative acts of citizens who they are supposed to protect. Rather, the military should engage their very sufficient intelligence agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and apply surgical precision raids to bring these miscreants to justice, as we are fully in support of such.
Thus, the House is worried that, “if this pattern now adopted by the Nigerian military in Bayelsa State is not immediately stopped, the map and population of Bayelsa State will be greatly reduced in the near future, if not wiped out.” They feared. Hence, it is a good move by the ‘Bayelsa State Caucus’ in the House of Representatives, to move the motion for the probe of the continuous military invasion and destruction of communities in Bayelsa State, under the guise of protecting oil installations from suspected oil thieves from the State
