Senior military officers, including the Commander of
Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta, Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman;
Commander, Nigerian Naval Ship (NNS) Victory, Commodore Sali Jibrin, and other
Component Commanders of the special security outfit yesterday escaped death by
the whiskers.
It was learnt that the top officers were on a
patrol in the waterways in the Niger Delta area when the incident which saw the
senior military personnel, comprising mainly the navy, sustaining various
injuries.
The operation was immediately called off after the
mishap, which military authorities described as 'major'.
It was learnt that a jetty, a structure that
projects from the land into water used as a walkway accessing the centre of the
sea, which was used by the affected senior officers, caved in during the
patrol.
The actual number of the security operatives affected
could not be ascertained, but the military source said all arms which
reportedly fell into the sea were recovered.
However, the officers and men were able to swim ashore,
according to the military source, and had been treated for the wounds sustained
during the accident which happened in the waterways of Akpabuyo Local Government
Area, Cross River.
A statement released by the Coordinator of the Joint Media
Campaign Centre (JMCC), Major Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the senior officers were
preparing to return to the area to complete the operation which was temporarily
truncated as a result of the accident.
“As part of Operation Safety Check (3) which is designed to
check troops’ deployment and activities at various locations across the Niger
Delta, a mishap was averted today (yesterday) at the northernmost Operation
Delta Safe (OPDS) location at Ikang, Cross Rivers State.
“The Commander OPDS, Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman, Commander
Nigerian Naval Ship (NNS) Victory, Operation Delta Safe Component Commanders,
Commander Sector 4 along with other Senior Officers and soldiers, all fell into
Ikang River as a result of the complete collapse of the Jetty at Ikang at about
10 a.m.
“However, as a result of the survival capability of the officers
and men of the service as well as all personnel, weapons and other equipment
were recovered with slight injuries to some personnel which have been treated,”
Abdullahi said.
According to the JTF spokesman, “The team has retired back to
Calabar to re-strategise and go ahead with the planned patrol and inspection.”
No comments:
Post a Comment