In the determination and resolve of the Nigerian Navy High Command to checkmate the activities of militants and sea pirates in Niger Delta to a halt, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette-Ibas has approved the deployment of 80 gunboats, 13 ships and two helicopters to the South-South and South West regions.
The deployments which commenced at the weekend to inner creeks and back waters of the Niger Delta and South West are tasked with flushing out militants and illegal refineries operations.
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Meanwhile, the warships on Tuesday commenced navigation to the high seas for the annual Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS’) sea inspection exercise under “Eagle Eye II.”
Vice Admiral Ibas, who flagged off the sea exercise at Onne Port in Rivers, noted that it was designed to assess the operational readiness of the navy to conduct maritime policing including anti-piracy and riverine operations.
Ibas added that the exercise was a conscious effort to consolidate on the gains of last year’s programme, even as he noted that the navy incorporated elements from sister services and would collaborate with other security agencies in intelligence sharing.
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