Niger Delta: DSS seeks intelligence information to tackle militancy

DIRECTOR of the Department of State Security, Cross River State Command, Mr Fubara Duke, has urged Nigerians to volunteer useful intelligence information that could help security agencies nib the menace of militancy prevalent in the Niger Delta region in the bud.

Duke who made the call on Thursday in an interaction with newsmen in Calabar noted that since assumption of duty in the State, the agency has smashed several kidnapping gangs, militant cells and pockets of miscreants.

According to Fubara, the service had put an end to the nefarious activities of the most prominent militant group in Cross River State, the Bakassi Strike Force, BSF, and enshrined relative calm in areas of their operations.

“In the past months, the State has been relatively peaceful. The Bakassi Strike Force has been relatively calm due to the kind of engagements employed to stem militancy.

“We are working on a holistic strategy to stem militancy. On kidnapping and cultism, we see that these vices are deeply rooted in Cross River State. We ended the activities of two gangs and are committed to eliminating such.”

The director particularly expressed dismay with the level of falsehood peddled on the social media, which he said, was harmful to Nigeria as a united entity.

He enjoined the main stream media, the print and electronic, to constantly report factual and truthful stories that would enhance stability, economic growth, unity and development.

Stressing that some persons hide under the guise of social media to engage in negative propaganda, Duke said “across the world there is appreciable helplessness due to the negative propaganda on social media. There is need for those of you in the main stream media to protect our integrity and unity by reporting the truth to the people.

“On our part, we are adopting appropriate strategic measures to end all forms of negative propaganda and make Nigeria safe. But, we also need our citizens to breach the gap of intelligence information gathering. We agree that we cannot be everywhere, and solicit the cooperation of all peace loving people to succeed”

He further cautioned Nigerians against making inciting utterances that could lead to communal or religious crisis in the state and nation.

“We have adopted an approach that is community based. Our concern is to win and sustain the cooperation of the communities and that was the reason we hold regular meetings with religious organisations and the traditional institution to stall crisis of any kind including herdsmen-farmers disagreements”