The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has cautioned the new Commander of the Federal Government security outfit in the Niger Delta, Operation Delta Safe, to be professional in addressing security challenges in the region.
The Governor gave the warning when he received the new commander of ODS, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, a statement in Yenagoa on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, has said.
Dickson emphasised the need for the law enforcement agents to be neutral in dealing with criminal activities.
While commending the Federal Government for retaining the headquarters of the Operation Delta Safe in Bayelsa, Dickson said the security outfit, especially its maritime component, had a crucial role to play, as the state is predominantly riverine in nature.
Dickson, who expressed confidence in the ability of the officers and men of the new command, called for non-interference in their activities in the interest of national peace and stability, saying the Niger Delta occupies strategic position in the country.
He said the state government on its part would continue to support security agencies in the fight against criminality and brigandage such as kidnapping, piracy and the wilful destruction of strategic national assets, with its attendant degradation of the environment.
Paying tribute to all the commanders of the defunct Operation Pulo Shield for their contributions to the peace in the region, Dickson said dialogue remained the best option to resolving the security issues in the area.
In his remarks, Okojie said the Federal Government deemed it necessary to re-engineer the security outfit as part of the efforts to tackle insecurity effectively in the country.
According to Okojie, the task of achieving enduring peace and stability, remains a joint effort involving the governments, community leaders and other stakeholders of the affected states, particularly in the maritime areas covered by ODS mandate.
The new Commander, who resumed duty on June 26, 2016, allayed people’s fears, saying that the outfit would adopt a holistic approach in maintaining law and order rather than use brute force.
He, however, warned criminal-minded individuals to steer clear of the region as the ODS has acquired adequate resources to deal decisively with those bent on sabotaging the government’s efforts towards promoting economic growth and prosperity.