Rivers State Governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike has donated 14 Ballistic gun boats to security agencies in the state .
The donation was his resolve to improve the security of lives and property in the state .
However, Commandant- General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC), Mr.Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has commended Wike for his resolve to improve the security of lives and property of citizens through empowerment of security agencies to deliver on their assigned mandates.
Dr Audi, also congratulated security agencies in the state who received the gunboats,saying that the gesture would go along way in fighting crime and criminality, especially act of sabotage in the oil industry which has taken its toll on the socio economic development of the Niger Delta Region.
He said that as the lead agency in the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure, the gunboats could not have come at a better time than now that NSCDC has renewed it’s onslaught against vandals, oil thieves and illegal oil bunkerers who are mostly armed with heavy weaponry against security agencies.
In a statement by Director Public Relations, NSCDC, National Headquarters, Abuja, DCC Olusola Odumosu,he explained that:”The CG stated that the support given by the state governor to the corps has boosted the morale of the anti vandal squad of the state Command and spurred them into more actionable operations for greater success. He affirmed that the Corps would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that vandals and other economic saboteurs are wiped out completely from the oil sector.
“The Corps helmsman charged the state Commandant, Abu Abdu Tambuwal and all officers and men of the Command to make judicious use of the gunboats in achieving better results in the protection of government assets and infrastructure and to equally maintain it in such a way that the government will be interested in doing more for the Corps.
“Briefing his officers and men at the state command after the commissioning of the 1Ballistic gun boats, the Commandant, Abu Abdu Tambuwal, vowed to sniff out those involved in crude oil theft, illegal dealings in Petroleum products and vandalism of oil pipelines in the state and charged the personnel to be unwavering in this new resolve.
“Tambuwal who was conspicuously present alongside other service commanders at the occasion to receive the gunboat on behalf of the Corps thanked Wike for remembering the Corps and assured that hismagnanimity would further strengthen the war against oil pipeline vandalism in the state.
“He further said the NSCDC as the lead agency in Safeguarding of critical national assets and infrastructure would continue to work relentlessly to rid the state of economic saboteurs, stressing that the command under his watch had arrested 11 suspects in connection with illegal dealings in petroleum products;impounded eight trucks and three cars within one month of assumption of office.
“He reiterated that the suspects would be prosecuted according to the extant laws, urging the good people of the state to collaborate with the NSCDC by giving credible Intelligence that would help to in the arrest of operators of illegal refineries and economic saboteurs in the state”.
