By David Kabiyesi
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Taoreed Lagbaja has calmed the frayed nerves of Nigerians over the rising tide of oil theft and pipeline vandalism, promising to nip it in the bud by all means, iwitnesslive.com can report.
Speaking at the interactive session with media executives on Wednesday in Ibadan as part of activities marking the 2023 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL), Lagbaja hinged his assurance on the Nigerian Army’s resolve to adoot severe measures to stamp out oil thieves and vandals in the country’s Niger Delta region.
“The Army will focus on the situation in the Niger-Delta region, just as it will not also lose focus on what is happening in other parts of the country in line with the mandate of the current government,” he said.
“The President has said that the nation is bleeding from all these. The money is not just there to do what we used to do in the past.
“This has led to the removal of oil subsidies and the floated exchange rate, while other reforms have also been put in place.
“Riding on the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of the President, the Nigerian Army under my watch will stamp out oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta,” Lagbaja said.
