In Ondewari community of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, panic-stricken residents were said to have fled the area to safer communities.
Similar aerial surveillance was also noticed in Ekeremor and other places in Bayelsa State where militants suspected to be members of the Niger Delta Avengers blew up oil facilities.
A community leader, Mr. Yeiyei Tentiomotie, said the fighter jets flew past in quick succession, sending signals to the residents that all was not well.
He said because of the development, many residents started fleeing the area, fearing that their communities might be invaded as the military intensified the search for the militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, which had destroyed oil installations in the area in recent times.
The President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, has meanwhile, raised the alarm that the military wanted to intimidate and destroy Ijaw lands in the name of searching for the militants.
Eradiri comment was in reaction to reports from some Ijaw communities in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states that the communities were the targets of military attacks.
Eradiri, who spoke with newsmen on the development on Monday, called on the military authorities to use intelligence in apprehending those responsible for the bombing of pipelines.
He stated, “The military should use intelligence so that it does not go about destroying communities and hurting innocent people. We call on the military to withdraw its tactics of intimidation of Ijaw lands and its people.”
Also, the Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba, said the fight against renewed militancy would be done “rationally.”
Garba, who spoke in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, noted that those disturbing the peace of the region were a small fraction of the good people of the area, assuring the people that the innocent residents should go about their duties without fear.
The naval chief, who resumed duties a few days at the CNC headquarters in Yenagoa, noted that though the security situation in the waterways remained volatile, the force was working underground to minimise the activities of the renegade group, the NDA.
He said, “So, we as a military are doing what it takes, before we come up with a plan of action. We have patrols and when we have information, we have protected facilities within the resources available to us.’’
He added that as part of the overall plan to rout the militants, the force had been cooperating and meeting with the Joint Task Force, the police, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other security agencies in terms of intelligence sharing.
He added, “There’s no organisation without challenges but we are converting our challenges into successes. Military operations are not as easy as you think it is.
“There are circumstances that determine our information. It looks simple sometimes, but there are many things that go into it.
“If you enter a boat into the creeks, you will know it is not easy to have available boats to cover those creeks. What we do is that major creeks leading to smaller creeks are policed. We have our men guarding them.’’
On why the military had not come down heavily on the militants, like what it did in the past, Garba noted that the force would only apply force when absolutely necessary.
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