The 2 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, has denied allegations of invasion of Ke community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Tide recalls that the Spokesman of Concerned Citizens of Ke Community, Mr Sogbeye Pokubo, had at a press briefing in Port Harcourt, last Tuesday, complained over alleged incessant military invasion of their community and activities of sea pirates in the area.
But while reacting to the allegations in a statement in Port Harcourt, the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Captain Eli Lazarus, said “men of the brigade have never invaded any community for any reason, because we are not an occupation Army”.
Lazarus explained that, men of the brigade were; “only involved in combating criminal activities such as crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism, kidnapping and sea piracy raised by the complainant, amongst other crimes.
“In discharging this constitutional responsibility, our men have to conduct operations to fish out suspected criminals from their hideouts in some of these communities. This is what we do, and not invasion,” Lazarus insisted.
He advised “the people of Ke community and all law-abiding citizens to join hands to support the security agencies by providing credible and timely information that could assist in combating crimes in the general area of Ke and the state at large”.
It would be recalled that Pokubo had alleged that for about four years, the community had been consistently invaded by the military for reasons unknown to members of the community.
He lamented that whenever the Army had any issue around their area and on the Sombrero River, the Army must invade the community.
Pokubo specifically noted that in August, 2015, two military personnel who were killed in Bayelsa State, were blamed on members of Ke community who did not know anything about such killing.
He further recalled that a soldier, who was killed on the Sombrero River immediately before the last National and State Assembly re-run elections in Rivers State, was blamed on the community, with the Army invading Ke in both occasions.
The spokesman had called on the military authorities to call their men to order, and always investigate such issues and bring the culprits to book, instead of attacking innocent people of Ke community.
Pokubo acknowledged that the community had been passing through difficult times as a result of activities of sea pirates on their waterways, resulting in paralysis in economic and commercial activities in the area.
While saying that Ke people, as predominantly fishermen could no longer carry out their fishing activities on the seas and in the swamps, Pokubo appealed to the state government and security agencies to immediately come to their rescue by doing all it takes to secure the area and promote peace and development of the community.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana