By Emma Amaize

ASABA—Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, yesterday,  lamented that the state was the worst hit by the present activities of the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, and other militant groups in the Niger Delta region.

Okowa

Okowa spoke when he played host to the Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, who led top officers of the multi-service task force to pay him a courtesy call in Asaba.

He prayed that pipeline bombings by militants should stop to enable the state “maintain its oil production without breaches as our revenue has dropped drastically.”

The governor, who also acknowledged the adverse effect of the attacks on revenue accruing to the Federation Account, told the commander that the best way to tackle security issues in the Niger Delta was by sharing of intelligence and combination of personnel to achieve desired results.

Noting that sea piracy had reduced, he said the  state still has some  issues with kidnapping and called for close collaboration among security agencies to nip it in the bud.

He said that unless government tackles security threats, including kidnapping, armed robbery and other vices, investors would be sceptical about doing business in the country.

Okowa  lauded the commander of Operation Delta Safe for going beyond his areas of jurisdiction to collaborate with other security agencies to tackle the security menace.

Rear Admiral Okojie had ealier told the governor and government functionaries who were present that they had the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari to secure the waterways in the Niger Delta region, covering parts of Ondo, Edo, and the entire Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers as well as part of Akwa Ibom states, against security and economic threats.