The Joint Task
Force (JTF) in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria has reacted to a
statement credited to a Dutch Parliamentarian, Sharon Gesthuizen, that
the men and officers of the Task Force are involved in illegal
bunkering of petroleum products. The Coordinator of the task force’s
Joint Media Campaign Centre, Timothy Antigha, said the statement was
made with the intention of further destabilising the region. “JTF urges
the media and members of the public to discountenance unsubstantiated
and malicious remarks from people who come around as friends but
actually mean to exploit our situation, create instability and profit
from it,” Mr Antigha said. “The JTF finds it intriguing and ironic that
a Dutch Member of Parliament who is a beneficiary of the confusion in
the Niger Delta is the one casting aspersion on the JTF.”
Unwanted allegation
He said such
allegation against troops who put their lives on the line in defence of
the nation and business interests of oil companies and foreign
nationals was ‘regrettable.’ “The JTF wishes to state categorically
that its personnel are not involved in any act of illegality, be it
stealing of oil as was alleged or any other activity which is not in
consonance with its mandate in the Niger Delta,” he said. “In the last
one year of JTF’s operation in the Niger Delta, security has improved
considerably, the spate of sea robbery, kidnap of oil workers and
vandalism of the nation’s oil infrastructure has been reduced
considerably. Within this period also, the nation’s economy has rebound
significantly on account of the huge improvement in the nation’s crude
oil output which is also predicated on security provided by the JTF.
“Most regrettably,
some JTF personnel have even paid the supreme price for security and
stability in the Niger Delta region. It is important to note that the
successes enumerated above could not have been achieved and the loss of
gallant officers and men sustained, if the JTF had compromised as
alleged.
Against this background, it is difficult to understand why certain
people or groups go to great extent to contrive stories in a bid to
achieve their ambition of undermining the reputation and achievements
of the JTF.” Ms Gesthuizen, a member of the Dutch parliament who was
part of a European fact finding team to the Niger Delta had stated in
an interview with the Wall Street Journal that members of the JTF are
involved in the illegal bunkering of petroleum products in the oil rich
region of Nigeria.
