Niger Delta militants on Saturday
threatened ‘war’ while dissociating themselves from the meeting elders
from the oil-rich region had with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja,
last Tuesday.
Apart from distancing themselves from
the meeting, they warned the Federal Government not to rejoice yet over
the recent rise in oil production in the country, threatening that a
series of attacks await oil facilities in the region in the days ahead.
The militants also asked the Federal
Government to drop the charges against Government Ekpemupolo, also known
as Tompolo, and other leaders from the region.
The Niger Delta Greenland Justice
Mandate, which is the only militant group that has refused to key into
the ceasefire with the government, also claimed responsibility for
Wednesday’s bombing of the Trans-Forcados Crude Export pipelines near
Batan community in the Warri South-West Council Area of Delta State.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr.
Ibe Kachikwu, had on Tuesday said Nigeria’s oil production had recently
risen to normal after a sharp drop earlier this year due to renewed
militant attacks on oil and gas facilities in the region.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its
spokesperson, Aldo Agbalaja, the militant group accused President
Muhammadu Buhari’s government of plotting to wage war against the people
of the Niger Delta region.
“As a matter of fact, what the Avengers
did to the oil industry will be nothing compared to the grand plan
already set by our central command. We shall bring Nigeria’s daily
output quota to below 500,000 barrels. Just be ready for the approaching
tsunami.
“The multinational oil companies, we
know you are recalcitrant and will always come to test wills, we hope
you will continue in this tradition so there will always be reason to
let the world know that ‘you don’t contest the corners of a house with
the owner of the house.’
“The destruction of the Trans-Forcados
Pipeline is just a warning. We warned against the restarting of the
facility, but the daring companies won’t listen. That shadow operation
that brought the TFP down was only meant to let these companies know
that we aren’t kidding with them; when we say stay down, you stay down,
and it’s in your best interest.”
The militant group described last
Tuesday’s meeting between Buhari and stakeholders, including traditional
rulers from the region as a humiliation of the people of the Niger
Delta.
“The humiliation that came with the
meeting of the elders with President Muhammadu Buhari did not come to
the NDGJM as a surprise. We expected it because we know even the
government knows the character and intent of the man and most of those
he led to the meeting.
“The only painful part is the fact that
the humiliation is stamped on the collective image of our people.
However, we want to dare President Buhari and his administration to
attempt or fully carry out his military action against our people and
see the response that will follow.
“We want to say here, without mincing
words, that we are aware of his intentions. We heard loud and clear his
hostile message, we understand his message and the NDGJM is saying we
are ready for him. We know he has reportedly threatened war on our
people; we had been calm enough not to respond to the threats, but at
this point, we believe it is time for us to come out to say to him
‘enough is enough.’
“If it is war, bring it on, we are no
cowards, just be sure you can sustain the consequences because this is
not going to be another vanquished ‘Biafran Uprising’. Niger Deltans are
nobody’s slaves; we shall fight until there’s nothing left to defend.”
Similarly, leaders of the Niger Delta
Peoples Democratic Front, Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta, and other
major players in the Niger Delta Avengers, who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, said they were not a party to the 16-point demand presented by their leaders to Buhari.
The leader of the NDPDF, simply
identified as General Playboy, faulted the stakeholders’ meeting with
Buhari, describing it as a platform for them (leaders) to expose their
selfish interests.
He expressed surprise that the 16-point
agenda submitted by the Niger Delta stakeholders to the Federal
Government did not address the issues of Tompolo who was declared wanted
by the FG.
He said, “The stakeholders are talking
about negotiation. They are talking about $10bn for Niger Delta people;
they (stakeholders) are thinking about oil blocs that will be released
to Niger Delta people and how they will share it among themselves. That
is the only thing they are thinking of.
“They have refused to talk about the
fact that there is a matter against Tompolo that should be dropped. None
of the stakeholders is thinking about others; they are only thinking of
themselves. But it will not work as far as I am concerned except
President Buhari comes down here to know the problem of the Niger
Delta. That is when Nigeria will have peace. If not, there will be no
peace. We are not interested in what the stakeholders went to do in
Abuja.’’
The militant leader stated that a
situation where ex-agitators like Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo, Boyloaf and
Soboma Jackrich (Egberipapa) were not part of the stakeholders’ meeting,
was an indication that government was not ready for peace.
“Any meeting geared towards peace
without protecting Tompolo’s interest will fail. Tompolo himself cannot
come out to negotiate his freedom. As far as we are concerned, Tompolo’s
case needs a political resolution, just like that of Henry Okah and
Charles Okah.
“These are forces in the region that
should not be undermined. We want the Federal Government as part of the
dialogue process to get a legal framework to free Okah and let Tompolo
have peace otherwise peace will continue to elude the region, and oil
pipelines will be blown off continuously to protest their persecution.”
Apart from persons from the region who
were facing prosecution, he also demanded the release of the Indigenous
People of Biafra’s leader, Namdi Kanu.
Similarly, a member of the Niger Delta Avengers who spoke on condition of anonymity told SUNDAY PUNCH
that peace would continue to evade the oil-rich Niger Delta until the
government stops the persecution of Tompolo and other leaders of the
region.
He said, “All the politically motivated
cases against Tompolo, Godsday Orubebe, Kingsley Kuku, Dr. Patrick
Akpobolokemi, and Mrs. Patience Jonathan, should be dropped by the
Federal Government, otherwise, agitation continues.”
Also, the spokesperson for the Ultimate
Warriors of Niger Delta, Sibiri Taiowoh, vowed that his group would open
a new chapter to the struggle.
He said, “We will return to the drawing
board. And we know the Federal Government will fail (to meet the
demands) because they are not sincere. We have lost faith in Buhari, so
whether he will grant all the requests or not is irrelevant to us.’’
NDA warns Buhari against dealing with sycophants
The Niger Delta Avengers, in a statement
on Saturday, warned President Buhari against dealing with “sycophants
in his cabinet” if he really wants to achieve peace in the region.
The NDA Spokesperson, Brig.Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, in a statement made available to SUNDAY PUNCH,
also challenged Buhari to visit the region instead of relying on
information from his ministers and political friends from the region.
The group said, “You cannot treat the
Niger Delta with disdain while you treat your brothers that are
terrorists and kidnappers (Boko Haram) like kings and queens by
committing the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement from
Geneva to witness your transactions with them, before they released
their hostages to you.”
“Let Muhammadu Buhari be advised to come
down from his ethnic and religious fundamentalist iron horse to lead
the Federal Government dialogue and negotiations team with neutral
international observers and representatives of international oil
companies.”
Meanwhile, the President of the Ijaw
National Congress, Chief Boma Obuoforibo, has said Niger Delta
stakeholders will not give the Federal Government an ultimatum or a
timeframe to implement their demand for the development of the region.
Obuoforibo, who spoke in a telephone interview with NEWSPHERE2
on Friday, said the stakeholders were optimistic that the President
would not renege on his promise to alleviate the sufferings of Niger
Delta people.
He said, “We are not going to be
negative about the ability of the Federal Government to implement the
demands because we have a positive mindset and we have never reached
this length in the past. We are doing all this in good faith.”
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant
to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, told one of our
correspondents on Saturday that the release of Tompolo was not part of
the demands of the Niger Delta leaders.
Shehu said, “I was present when the
Niger Delta Elders met the President. At no point did anyone mention
this (Tompolo) or any other name by way of a demand for release. ”
Copyright NEWSPHERE2.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from NEWSPHERE2.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from NEWSPHERE2.
Contact: editor@Newsphere2.com
0 comments: