The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, has warned those carrying out illegal activities in the nation’s territorial waters to desist from it or face the wrath of the Nigerian Navy.
Ezeoba handed down this warning while briefing newsmen at the end of a joint military exercise in the Niger Delta region code named: “Exercise FARAUTA''.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, has warned those carrying out illegal activities in the nation’s territorial waters to desist from it or face the wrath of the Nigerian Navy.
Ezeoba handed down this warning while briefing newsmen at the end of a joint military exercise in the Niger Delta region code named: “Exercise FARAUTA''.
The navy chief, who was on board the Navy Ship “THUNDER'' for the exercise which lasted from Nov. 11 to 17, warned that it was not business as usual as the navy was determined to put a stop to the illegal business.
He said being out in the sea for seven days, which had not happened for a long time, was an evidence of the navy's resolve to do things differently on the waters.
“We will continue to meet the benchmarks; we continue to put structures in place to help develop more of capacity to sustain our presence at sea.
“We have in the offing the planned acquisition of two new Off Shore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) which is going to be in the country in the next 18 to 24 months which is a long time.
“And while that is ongoing, there is some effort somewhere to fill a gap by looking at possible off shelve acquisition to help us to meet this operational capability,‘’ he said.
Ezeoba said the navy was determined to carry out the President’s directive to ensure that they stamped out all criminals in the Niger Delta region with emphasis on Bonny-Akassa-Escravos axis noted for crude oil theft.
He assured Nigerians that the president’s pronouncement would be carried out, adding: “when there is a will, there is a way.
“And we will leverage on that commitment from Mr President and we will deliver on his mandate, ‘’ he said.
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