Governorship elections: Group raises alarm over deployment of special killer squad to South South

The Niger Delta Peace Movement (NDPM), has raised alarm over the deployment of a Special Killer Squad to the six States of the South South geopolitical zone, ahead of the Governorship and National Assembly elections.

According to the Secretary General of the NDPM, Comrade Jephtah Akedi, the “killer squad of battle tested soldiers, was pulled out of Sokoto State, on a mission to kill and enforce the directive to actualize the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South South.”

Akedi said investigations conducted by the group revealed that the Army High Command “has assigned a ruthless officer, Maj. Al Mustapha, to lead the deadly squad, comprising four officers and 130 men, in its mission to execute acts of repression against the citizens during the period.”

The NDPM Scribe further stated that his organization got intelligence report from authoritative sources in high places, in the nation’s Defence sector that the Army has also deployed one Lt. Col. Armed Aliu as the new Commander of the 343 Artillery Battalion.

He said that the NDPM was worried that the leadership of the Army deployed Lt. Col. Ilelah, who was the Artillery Commander at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to preside over the execution of the Army’s election game plan against the state’s of the South South.

The Secretary General also added that since his Special deployment for the ‘special mission’ as the Commander of the 343 Artillery Battalion, Ilelah has issued orders to his subordinates, who have aided brazen distortion of the electoral process in support of the APC.

He stressed that it was “important to remind the Nigerian public that the military officers who authorized the killings in Bayelsa report to Lt. Col. Ilelah.”

He added one Major Modibbo, and Major Ibrahim, who have been fingered for aiding the activities of the thugs of the APC and killer soldiers all take directives from Lt. Ilelah.

Akedi further added that Lt. Col. Ilelah, now structured into the Operational Command of the Army as the Commander of the 343 Artillery Battalion, reports directly to the General Officer Commanding the Division 6 of the Nigerian Army, which controls the six states of the South South, Maj. Gen. Sarham.

He alleged further that even the GOC, was being controlled by the  Minister of Interior, a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Abdul Rahman Danbazzau, and the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, to supervise the directive to take over the South South for the ruling APC.

Akedi called on the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, to restrain his officers from tainting the service with political bias during elections, adding that it would be wrong for the Army to be dragged into the political dispute through the collusion of men in the corridors of power and senior officials of the service.