Nigeria Content Online

Fishermen in Akwa Ibom State have commended the Joint
Military Task Force (JTF) for freeing 19 oil workers abducted by
militants in the Niger Delta.

They also lauded the force for taking over more than
10 camps of the militants. Welcoming the JTF onslaught in the area, the
fishermen under the auspices of Artisan Fishermen Association of
Nigeria (ARFAN), urged the JTF not to relent until the hoodlums were
flushed out and their camps “annexed”.

Samuel Ayadi, ARFAN Chairman in the state, told NAN
in Eket in Akwa Ibom that the renewed activities of the militants in
spite of the amnesty programme had made it insecure to return to the
waterways for fishing.

Fifteen oil workers were abducted in Mobil and Afren
oil rigs in Akwa Ibom coastal waters in the last three weeks. Those
kidnapped including the foreigners, were freed along with four others
by the JTF operatives who raided the camps of the militants on
Wednesday.

The chairman said that resurgence of criminal
activities in the creeks had made fishermen, who were gradually
resettling sequel to the amnesty programme, to abandon their
settlements and seek refuge elsewhere.

According to him “We hail the JTF for this bold step
in restoring hope to coastal communities after renewed criminal
activities of the militants in the waterways.

“We particularly commend the military operation
which led to the freeing of the19 hostages and the take-over of many
camps used by the militants. We are grateful to the JTF and the Federal
Government for that ‘victory’ because it will enable all fishermen in
the area to return to their fishing settlements, which were vacated
following the renewed militancy,” he said.

He expressed concern over the sustenance of peace in
the area, stating that his association had lost many members who were
displaced by the militants and dispossessed of their fishing boats and
thrown into the river.

He therefore, urged the JTF to strengthen and sustain its present
posture in combating criminal activities in the coastal areas of the
region and pledged the support of fishermen in the state to the Federal
Government to maintain peace in the area “by reporting suspicious
movements and activities in the waterways to law enforcement agencies.</