The Nigerian Army Headquarters has described the report as an outright misrepresentation of facts regarding the recent visit by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, to 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt Barracks.

In a statement by Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the army said the submission by Sahara Reporters with the headline “Nigerian Army Chief Raises Alarm over Rising Pipeline Vandalism in Niger Delta” is misleading, malicious and should be disregarded.

"It is also important to unequivocally state that the COAS did not express concern nor raise any alarm in any quarter on alleged rising cases of pipeline vandalism as portrayed in the misleading account," the force said.

The army said the COAS, while addressing troops on Friday, 9 January 2025, at 6 Division, Port Harcourt, said: “Your job here is very key to protecting critical national infrastructure, and once you do that job very well, it will impact positively on the economy of the country.”

The Army Chief stressed that, “So you need to take your job very seriously, be disciplined, committed and dedicated to the mandate of this Division. While you do that, be assured I will take care of your welfare issues, which are topmost priorities as captured in my Command Philosophy.

“Some of the challenges raised by your commanders were addressed immediately; for instance, the issue of accommodation. We have approved the construction of additional accommodation, the renovation of certain quarters and the completion of some ongoing projects.” He added, “Once this is done, it will go a long way in mitigating some of the accommodation challenges that are here.” He maintained that, “In terms of quality education for your children, that is all being looked into and in turn, we expect you to do your job conscientiously. So listen to your officers; they will guide you and lead you right.”

The COAS, while fielding questions from the press, revealed, “Normally, I go round various Divisions to see officers and men, interact with them and ensure their combat readiness. So I am here in the 6 Division area of responsibility for my maiden operational visit to see what the troops are doing, to look at their challenges and see how we can address them headlong so that they can go about doing their jobs seriously.”

He further assured that some of the challenges raised during the visit would be promptly addressed.
“I have looked at some of the challenges they have raised; some were addressed immediately, while others will be addressed immediately we get to Abuja.”

He further said, “I want you to continue to do your jobs conscientiously. Your jobs around here involve the protection of critical national infrastructure, which impacts our economy, so once you do your job very well, everything will be fine.”

The army said, for clarity, the COAS did not raise an alarm over rising cases of pipeline vandalism as reported.

"Parameters on the ground, security-wise, indicated commendable security efforts at checking the menace of oil theft and pipeline vandalism across the region. These efforts have significantly led to sustained exploration activities in the oil and gas sector, in the interest of the nation’s economy.

"Members of the public are called upon to disregard such subtle but futile attempts at downplaying security efforts that are yielding positive results across the region. Additionally, the good people of the region are urged to continue to provide credible intelligence on the activities of economic saboteurs in their domain to security agencies for prompt response," the statement concluded.

ASA