The clampdown on suspected militants yielded more results on Saturday as operatives of the Joint Military Task Force in the Niger Delta captured a notorious militant leader, Obese Kuna, and 62 other members of his gang.
Recovered from the gang believed to be behind the recent kidnapping of 19 oil and construction workers in the Niger Delta were 45 AK47 rifles, 12 general purpose machine guns, thousands of ammunition, MEND’s armbands, handsets, military hardware, and a cash of N673,000.
Following the renewed military onslaught in the region, the JTF operatives had, on November 15, recovered 30,000 arms and ammunition from the militants, just as they shut down 14 militants’ camps in the oil-rich zone.
Twenty-five-year old Obese, known as the General Commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, and members of his group were apprehended on Friday by the task force.
Parading the suspects at the Nigeria Air Force Base in Port Harcourt on Saturday, the JTF Commander, Maj.-Gen Charles Omoregie, said the group was responsible for most of the heinous crimes across the region.
Omoregie expressed worry that Obese and members of his group, who had earlier embraced Federal Government‘s amnesty, decided to return to the creeks to unleash mayhem on innocent Nigerians.
He said, ”Most worrisome is that some of these criminals in front of you had accepted the Federal Government amnesty and are currently collecting allowances from the government, but still went ahead to engage in criminal activities that are strictly forbidden by the terms of the amnesty.
“However, we have brought them (militants) out of the creeks and we hope they will not go back to the creeks. We want you to see that the JTF is not fighting just for the fun of fighting.
“As stakeholders in security affairs, we are assuring Nigerians that we will eradicate these criminals from the region and have a very peaceful region where development can take place.”
Read More:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011212201632
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