From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

THE Ministry of Defence has deployed troops in the Ogbia-Nembe to prepare the ground for the resump­tion of road construction earlier suspended.

Two soldiers were killed recently when an expatri­ate was kidnapped, which forced the construction company, Setraco, to leave the site.

The Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield confirmed the deployment of troops and explained it was to guard against pos­sible attack by criminal elements in the area.

Representative of the Joint Task Force, Col. Gold Chibuisi, who spoke yesterday in Yenagoa, at a meeting initiated by Bay­elsa State Deputy Gover­nor, Rear Admiral John Jonah and the two funding partners, the Niger Delta Development Commis­sion (NDDC) and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) as well as Setraco, said the task force has taken some mea­sures to step up security on the Ogbia-Nembe Road by deploying more person­nel as well as increase in check-points and patrol.

According to him, the recent killing of two sol­diers on the road was un­fortunate and shocking.

Earlier, the deputy gov­ernor expressed apprecia­tion to all the partners in the project for coming together to chart the way forward.