Rivers PDP, APC fight dirty over alleged illegal training of militia

THE leaders of the Rivers State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are fighting dirty over an alleged illegal training of militia for the 2019 general elections. 

Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Darlington Orji, yesterday on a local radio in Port Harcourt, condemned Thursday’s disruption of the training of recruited members of the Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency by soldiers from the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt. 

Orji expressed surprise about the disruption by soldiers, after the 6 division acknowledged a letter on the training from the Rivers State government. He stressed that the exercise was to provide employment opportunities for the properly-screened youths and never to be used to rig the 2019 general elections or to unleash mayhem or violence in Rivers.

The Rivers Publicity Secretary of PDP also insisted that the police and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) were involved in profiling the trainees for the good of the society, with the corps mainly to assist the security agencies with intelligence and information.

 Rivers Chairman of APC, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, however, declared that Governor Nyesom Wike of the PDP was using the state’s Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency to recruit thugs to be used during 2019 elections. Flag-Amachree also described the training of the militia as illegal, while lauding the Nigerian army for the prompt action of dispersing the recruited youths.

The Deputy Director, Army Public Relations of 6 Division, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, reiterated that the Nigerian army discovered an illegal militia training camp at the National Youth Service Corps’ (NYSC’s) Permanent Orientation Camp, Nonwa-Gbam in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers, while maintaining that the letter from Wike’s administration on the training was never approved.

 Iliyasu noted that the troops on a routine surveillance discovered the “illegal militia training camp,” with over 100 recruits met undergoing military type of training. The deputy director, army public relations, stated that similar illegal militia training camps were discovered and disbanded in Benue and Taraba states earlier in the year, with measures promptly taken to forestall breach of security and ensure safety of citizens. 

Wike, while speaking on Thursday at Odiokwu, Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he kicked off the construction of a Model Primary Healthcare Centre, Odiokwu Internal Roads, Odiokwu-Anwuigboko and Odiokwu-Oyigbo roads, alleged that the Nigerian army had been transformed into a political weapon and has abandoned its security responsibilities.

The Rivers governor also described the invasion by soldiers from the 6 division of Nigerian army as the worst act of irresponsibility, aimed at instigating insecurity in the state. Wike said: “If you do not want Rivers State to be safe, then Nigeria will not be safe. They want to use their guns against us.

 If they stop the training elsewhere, personnel of the Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency will be trained at the Government House, Port Harcourt.” A senior army officer, who would not want to be named, however, declared in an exclusive interview that if Wike decided to go ahead to train his ‘illegal militia’ inside the Government House, Port Harcourt, with the intention of arming and using them to rig the 2019 general elections, soldiers would still “peacefully” chase them out.

The Director-General of Tonye Cole Campaign Organisation of the APC, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, stated that Wike embarked on the illegal recruitment and training of the hapless job-seekers, preparatory to deploying them to kill, maim and rig the 2019 elections for him. 

Lloyd said: “Disappointingly, the Federal Government until now, appeared to treat a sensitive matter bordering on treason under national security, with kid gloves. “We are aware that Wike has already procured illegal arms for the private army he is setting up. Afraid that his illegal arms procurement and distribution might leak, he recently raised a false alarm, alleging that the Federal Government was plotting to plant 800 guns in Rivers State. 

His false charge was to create an opportunity to blame the Federal Government, should his deal be busted. He will simply claim that the arms were planted by the Federal Government, as he earlier warned.