TheCable

The defence headquarters (DHQ) has scrapped Operation Pulio Shield, the joint task force outfit in the Niger Delta.

Rabe Abubakar, DHQ’s spokesman, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, saying the move was aimed at restructuring the force.

The statement said Gabriel Olonisakin, chief of defence staff, had approved the replacement of Operation Pulio Shield with Operation Delta Safe.

“The OPERATION PULO SHIELD in Niger Delta has been scrapped with immediate effect and replaced with OPERATION DELTA SAFE,” Abubakar said in a statement.

“This is in line with the defence headquarters initiative to restructure the joint task force for better service delivery, efficiency and effectiveness in line with the vision and mission of the Chief of Defence Staff to contain the current security challenges in the Niger Delta especially protection of critical national assets and provision of security in the area.

“Under this arrangement, the joint operational areas of the new outfit have been delineated into 3 sectors and 5 operational bases covering the entire Niger Delta, Ondo and Akwa Ibom States. The headquarters of OPERATION DELTA SAFE would be in Yenagoa.

“This development, according to Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, becomes expedient in order to inject new tactics and robust operational initiative to tackle the emerging security challenges in the Niger Delta region such as piracy, bunkering, vandalism and other criminalities prevalent in the area.”