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Tag: Avengers

  • Igbo group, IPOB, disowns MEND, Avengers

    Igbo group, IPOB, disowns MEND, Avengers

    The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by detained  Nnamdi Kanu, yesterday disowned the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), both of which have been linking their own agitations to Kanu’s incarceration.

    It said it  has “no connection, contact, ties or any kind of relationship” with MEND and NDA.

    Kanu, speaking though his lawyers in Abuja, also expressed his willingness  to negotiate with the Federal Government.

    The lawyers, Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Amoebi Nzelu said that  Kanu is prepared to accept a political solution in line with his belief that he is a political prisoner of conscience.

    Kanu and two of his associates – Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi (a field maintenance engineer with MTN) –  are  currently being held in Kuje prison, Abuja, following their arraigment before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

    They were arraigned in January of this year on a six-count charge of treasonable felony, running an unlawful organisation, plotting to level war against the country, illegal possession of firearms and unlawful importation of a transmitter to run their illegal radio station – Radio Biafra.

    They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    However, Ejiofor and Nzelu told reporters yesterday that  their client was not opposed to talks with the government.

    They spoke against the backdrop of report that the Federal Government  had directed the release of some members of the group arrested in February this year during a protest rally.

    They said:”Nnamdi Kanu is not averse to political solution in resolving his present politically orchestrated ordeal.

    “He welcomes genuine political solution to this case. Nnamdi Kanu has people of proven integrity and impeccable character that will negotiate on his behalf, based on his demands when communication on this effect is established,” Ejiofor said.

    On the claims that MEND was negotiating on behalf of Kanu and IPOB, the lawyer said, “In the past few days, the media was awash with news on negotiation going on between the Federal Government and members of MEND, where our client’s name (Nnamdi Kanu) conspicuously featured.

    “It is on that note that we wish to inform the general public that Nnamdi Kanu has no connection, contact, ties or any kind of relationship with members of MEND.

    “As such, MEND has no implied, direct or express authority of Nnamdi Kanu to represent him or IPOB in any purported negotiation going on between MEND and the Federal Government.

    “The general public is accordingly advised to ignore, discountenance and disregard the falsehood been peddled by MEND,” said Mr. Ejiofor.

    Responding to a question on whether Kanu would abandon his campaign for an independent state of Biafra in exchange for freedom, Nzelu said that his client would not jettison the agitation even if he was released.

    He also said that Kanu has no ties with the Avengers.

    “It is not easy to drop an ideology. IPOB is bigger than Nnamdi Kanu. Self-determination is as a result of marginalisation,” he said.

    The Niger Delta Avengers have, however, denied ever negotiating with the Federal Government on behalf of Kanu, adding that they have only made calls to the government for his release. In a chat with The Nation, a spokesperson of the group said: ” Avengers have never negotiated with the FG on behalf  of Kanu. We have only called for his unconditional release and also asked the Federal Government to come out clear about the negotiation.

    “We are fighting for restructuring of the country in a honourable way. The vision of Avengers and IPOB  is to have a  nation of theirs . This is totally different from what MEND stands for. MEND has no right to negotiate with the government on Kanu’s behalf because they don’t share the same vision with them.”

  • IYC: we have no link with Avengers

    IYC: we have no link with Avengers

    A faction of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide yesterday frowned at the linkage of the youth body with activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

    A splinter group of NDA, Reform Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA), named IYC President, Udengs Eradiri, among those it accused of belonging to the NDA.

    Although Eradiri denied the allegation, some members of council claimed he was no longer the president and should not drag the name of IYC into dishonourable activities.

    IYC’s Secretary-General  Bristol Emmanuel condemned the linking of the youths’ body with militancy, claiming Eradiri had since ceased to lead IYC.

    Eradiri and most members of his executive council have been at loggerheads over leadership of the council; a battle that had shifted to the court.

    But Emmanuel, who addressed reporters yesterday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, said: “We condemn any attempt to drag the name of IYC to issues relating to militancy and Avengers. The organisation has no activity that has to do with Avengers.

    Eradiri is not the president of IYC. I am the secretary-general of the IYC and the head of Administration. I am the custodian of the documents and everything belonging to the council. Eradiri is not the president.

    “He has been relieved of that office. IYC, for now, is consulting with stakeholders and discussing with relevant institutions to end the crisis in this region.

    “The IYC president remains Elvis Donkemezuo and that is the true reflection of Ijaw people and the position of the council. We are not speaking in the defence of Udengs; we are only defending the integrity of IYC.”

    Also, Donkemezuo said it was unfair to rope IYC into violent agitation of the Avengers.

    The IYC chief insisted that the council remained committed to the development of the Ijaw nation.

    He said: “We don’t want anybody to rope IYC to any issue that has not been approved by IYC. We don’t want people to associate the council to unending arms struggle.

    “For the sake of clarity, we want to state that Udengs Eradiri is no longer the president of the IYC. A court of competent jurisdiction sitting in Sagbama, Bayelsa State, has summoned him for parading himself as IYC president.

    “IYC is not Udengs Eradiri’s private estate. Therefore, we urge those who have personal or business quarrels with him not to drag the name of the council into their tussle. We distance ourselves from the Niger Delta Avengers and any splinter group from it as well as their sponsors.

    “Moreso, for the avoidance of doubt, we want the world to know that although we do not know who the NDA members are, we are confident that they are not Ijaw people and do not speak for the Ijaw or the Niger Delta Region.

    “They have identified that as a nation, we have an unresolved problem and they are trying to exploit that for their personal aggrandisement. The abject state of the Ijaw man and the Niger Delta is no longer breaking news.

    “The whole world is aware that the Niger Delta is underdeveloped despite the huge resources that have been taken from it. So, these people masking as freedom fighters are trying to cash in on this to exploit our plight as a tool to enrich themselves. Their actions do not reflect the true spirit of the Niger Delta Struggle. Our struggle in the IYC is in line with the principles of our illustrious forebears like Isaac Adaka Boro, Harold Dappa-Biriye, the Brave authors of Kaiama Declaration, Ken Saro-Wiwa among others. The character, actions and antics of the NDA and their co-travellers, like the so called RNDA do not reflect the yearnings and aspirations of our land and people. This is because they are actually impoverishing our region and degrading our environment with their mindless destruction of Oil Facilities.

    “Finally, we call on the Security Agencies to intensify efforts to fish out the real faces behind the NDA mask, just as we advise our youths to be law abiding and go about your lawful business. These are trying times, but we shall overcome with God on our side.  We must not allow profiteers to exploit our collective pains for their private gains.

    “We thank the Nigerian populace for their cooperation. IYC has nothing to do with the activities of NDA. We demand an apology for dragging the name of the council to such activities because our struggles are guided by the overall interest of the Ijaw nation.”

     

  • Ex-Amnesty chief Kuku distances self from Avengers

    Ex-Amnesty chief Kuku distances self from Avengers

    former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Kingsley Kuku, has condemned the attempt to link him with the militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

    In a statement in Alabama, the United States of America (U.S.A), where he is undergoing therapy after a knee surgery, Kuku said he did not sponsor the militant group, as claimed by a group, Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, in a report published by New York-based news portal, SaharaReporters.

    He said: “This is yet another attempt to discredit my hard-earned reputation and defame my person, after the earlier plot to implicate me with terrorism by another fictitious Kano-based group, National Security Watchdog. If that attempt failed, this too has surely fallen flat.

    “Since the 1990s, I have dedicated a greater part of my life to the service of our dear country. I have been privileged to serve Nigeria and my people in different capacities and have discharged my duties and responsibilities with utmost patriotism and the fear of God.

    “The jury is still out on my last national assignment as Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. But what cannot be disputed is the fact of an indelible mark my team and I achieved at ensuring and stabilising the peace and security of the Niger Delta for four solid years, despite the very grave challenges we faced. Even now, I am willing to join any sincere effort to restore and strengthen the peace of the region, irrespective of party affiliation, in the interest of my people and the nation.

    “It is, therefore, the height of perfidy to point fingers at a man like me; after committing so much to guarantee peace and security in the region, to now sponsor acts that are antithetical to my cherished principles. Without mincing words, I am pained by the seeming reversal of the gains recorded while discharging our mandate.”

    But no matter the systemic attempts to blur our achievements, there shall be light at the end of the dark tunnel.

    “In Nigeria of today, where you are guilty until proven innocent, which is the title of my upcoming book, some of the fruits of our efforts have started manifesting with the graduation of three of our delegates with First-Class degrees and some others with Second-Class Upper degrees in the United Kingdom (U.K) alone, just as thousands of others have equally performed excellently well in other parts of the world and in Nigeria. These are youths who were privileged to be enrolled in higher institutions abroad and in Nigeria under the Special Scholarship Scheme initiated by my team and me under former President Goodluck Jonathan. We invested so much in academics and capacity development of youths from the region and our achievements continue to speak for us.

    “As I recuperate from my surgery, I have advised my lawyers to take steps to defend my integrity against negative media reports.

    “I remain an unrepentant advocate of the indissolubility of the Nigerian nation as well as the peace and development of the Niger Delta.”

     

  • Arewa youths to Avengers: stop bombings, pipeline vandalism

    The Northern Forum of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) yesterday urged the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to stop bombing and vandalising oil and gas pipelines and other economic installations in the region.

    The forum’s Chairman Abubakar Balewa spoke on the need for peace to reign in the region to enable development take place.

    Balewa was reading a drafted copy of NYCN’s communiqué, which the forum released at the end of last weekend’s meeting of the youth council from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Kaduna.

    The communiqué said: “…The forum supports President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war and urges the government to remain resolute, despite distractions.

    “The forum commends the Federal Government for its economic diversification drives as it relates to Agriculture, solid minerals development, exploration of oil in the North, implementation of the Hyppadec Bill and the dredging of River Niger and Benue.”

    The forum praised the National Assembly for the passage of the Bill for the Establishment of the Nigerian Peace Corps.

    It noted that this would reduce youth unemployment in the land.

    The forum said it resolved to support the forthcoming unity congress of the NYCN on August 25 to 27, calling all stakeholders, particularly the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, to ensure the success of the congress.

     

  • Avengers: whodunnit?

    Since the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) — a splinter group from Niger Delta Avengers, the latest swamp anarchists on the Niger Delta front — released a list of alleged sponsors, it has been a fit of denials.

    The alleged list is simply puzzling, even though one or two could be legitimately charged to have motives, for stark personal gains, to be part of that organised anarchy,

    The alleged list: former President Goodluck Jonathan, Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson, Ijaw leader and former presidential godfather, Chief Edwin Clark, former Akwa Ibom Governor but now Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, fugitive, whose disappearance heralded the Avenger bombings, Government Ekpemukpolo aka Tompolo, AIT owner, Raymond Dokpesi, former presidential man Friday on the Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, Kimi Angozi and Patrick Akpobokemi, with Tompolo, docked with multi-billion Naira sleaze, allegedly committed during the Jonathan presidency.

    Besides alleged outright sponsors, RNDA also named the following as alleged “sympathisers”: Ankio Briggs, Tony Uranta, Daniel Alabrah and Olisa Metuh, former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national spokesperson, also currently docked for alleged sleaze.

    More pin-point, RNDA accused Undengs Eradiri, president of Ijaw Youth Council, whose battle moniker, it alleged, is Gen. Murdoch Agbinibo, of serving as Avengers chief spokesperson.

    To complete the alleged list of perdition, from which everybody now shies, are Oyege Mimi Brown, VIP Timothy, Joshua Macaiver and Paul  Bebenimibo, among others, as main Avenger operatives.

    Former President Jonathan has poured cold water on the list, scoffing that his mention is the figment of malevolent imagination.  So has Eradiri, who claims his listing was MEND’s revenge mission for harshly thumbing down its so-called Aaron 2 negotiating team.

    But so far, mum has been the word from Tompolo, the fugitive from the law, whose refusal to be docked, and subsequent disappearance, birthed the Avengers bombings of vital oil pipelines and installations.  Tompolo might well be innocent of any Avenger conspiracy.  But he stands fairly accused of having a motive.

    Well, it is RNDA’s words against these people; and that remains an allegation until when probed and proved.  The security agencies now have a lead.  They should not hesitate to investigate, arrest and prosecute those who have genuine cases to answer.

    But no matter how it pans out, it is getting increasingly clear that Niger Delta Avengers’ organised anarchy, to cripple Nigeria economically because Jonathan lost a free election (as many militants boasted pre-election, should Jonathan lose), is a high-powered conspiracy, well beyond some rag-tag roughnecks from the creeks.

    Hardball just marvels at how a people and leaders would launch a serious war against own environment, the political equivalent of cutting your nose to spite your face.  Long after all bombs must have quietened, Niger Delta would bear the scar — ultra-polluted creeks, poverty, high crime rate and social dislocation.

    Still since those sponsors have warred against fellow Nigerians who directly did them no harm, the state too should war against them.  Bombing oil facilities has drastically reduced Nigeria’s oil production output; and attacks on gas infrastructure have crippled electricity supply, turning the country into one huge and unending darkness.

    Such saboteurs must not be allowed to escape justice.  That is why the security agencies must fish them out and punish them for their crime.

  • Uduaghan to Fed Govt: involve governors in Avengers’ crisis

    Uduaghan to Fed Govt: involve governors in Avengers’ crisis

    Former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has urged the Federal Government to involve Niger Delta governors in resolving the crisis the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) has caused in region and the economy.

    Uduaghan noted that the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) to Niger Delta militants failed to yield results because the region’s governors were not involved.

    The former governor spoke at the weekend in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, at the Nigerian Guild of Editors’ (NGE) conference.

    He said the region’s governors should participate in the resolution of militancy and other challenges causing underdevelopment in the region.

    Uduaghan said this would maximise the Federal Government effort to solve the challenges.

    The former governor urged the agitating youth to embrace dialogue with the government to resolve the region’s crisis.

    He said: “The Amnesty did not achieve what it was to achieve because the governors were not involved. The states should be involved. The biggest threat in Niger Delta is that our land is seriously polluted, especially the water. In those days, you could see the sand under the water. We used it to wash our teeth. But it is not so anymore.

    “Niger Delta Avengers are busting our pipelines for whatever reasons; anger. Nigerians are looking at it as something just affecting only the economy; it goes beyond that. Our environment is being ruined.

    “Dealing with the Niger Delta challenge should be a carrot-and-stick approach: engagement first and force, where necessary. Engagements should be deepened. The governors should be part of it.

    “I want to appeal to our brothers in Niger Delta Avengers that what they are doing is not just damaging the economy but the waters. I appeal to them to stop. The media should also help to appeal to them to stop it.”

    Uduaghan appealed to the media to educate Nigerians on the gains of agriculture, adding that the nation needed to embrace agriculture as a major revenue earner.

  • Metuh dissociates self from Avengers

    Metuh dissociates self from Avengers

    The embattled former National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, has dissociated himself from reports listing him among sympathisers of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

    In a statement yesterday, Metuh described the reports  as false, misleading and heinous.

    The statement said: “My attention has been drawn to a false and misleading report circulating in a section of the media, heinously listing my name as one of the sympathisers of the Niger Delta Avengers.

    “Ordinarily, I would not have responded to this, given that I have chosen to conduct my affairs with the decency and comportment of someone involved in a well-celebrated trial and with a severe spinal problem.

    “I am also not unaware of the series of false reports against my person in the last few months. However, on this occasion, I have chosen to respond, as this borders on matters affecting national security.

    “Indeed, I believe this is a wicked, cruel and devillish plot to link me with such activities and at this time, especially as the claim is false.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, I state that I do not have any relationship or association whatsoever, either as a sympathiser or sponsor of any militant group, including the Avengers.

    “I, therefore, find it cruel that any person would attempt to associate my name with anything to do with this group or its operations and I still wonder what the motive behind this sinister plot is.

    “While I restate my decision not to be drawn into any controversy at this time, it is pertinent that I reiterate that my only preoccupation now remains matters concerning my health and extant court trial as I continue to conduct my affairs with dignity and single-mindedness.

    “Finally, I call on the Federal Government and security agencies to investigate and arrest Cynthia Whyte, who purportedly circulated the report, and ensure that they get to the root of this matter. This is a security issue and nobody should be allowed to play politics with it.”

  • ‘I’m not Avengers sympathiser’

    A former Head of Media and Communication at the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Daniel Alabrah, has denied any link with the militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

    In a statement yesterday, Alabrah said: “A report published by the news portal, SaharaReporters of Saturday, August 6, 2016,  linking me to the nascent militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), came to me as a surprise.

    “The report, with the headline: ‘’Former President Jonathan, Tompolo, Akpabio, Wike, Dokpesi, Others Named as Sponsors of Niger Delta Avengers’’, mentioned my name as one of its sympathisers.

    “The report was attributed to Cynthia Whyte, who is the so-called spokesperson of a specious and shadowy group, Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA).

    The claim is not only false, spurious and lacking substance, it is also the figment of the imagination of the authors and their sponsors. The intention is to distract the Federal Government, the security and intelligence agencies from the task of uprooting the latest scourge of militancy from the Niger Delta.

    “While it is an honour to be named among such great Nigerians, let me remind those behind the report that militancy is not the only means of livelihood in the Niger Delta that virtually every respectable and responsible person from the region would be tarred with that infamous stigma.

    “I, therefore, state unambiguously and without any equivocation that I am not sympathetic to the agitation of the Niger Delta Avengers just as I am not given to violent methods to espouse a cause. My mode of dissent as a journalist and media-minded person had always been within the ambit of the law and through avenues that are professionally and legally acceptable.

    “I do not know if my modes of expressing my views on national or Niger Delta issues have now constituted a threat to national peace. If that is the case, then this is an attempt to stifle free speech, democratic values and my inalienable rights.

    “As a former appointee, who served as head of Media and Communication of the Presidential Amnesty Programme for three years, I contributed towards ensuring and sustaining peace in the Niger Delta as well as in moulding youths from the region. I cannot now toe a dishonourable and discredited path.

    “I, therefore, urge the sponsors of this malicious report to repent.”

  • Crisis rocks Niger Delta Avengers

    Crisis rocks Niger Delta Avengers

    All is not well within the rank and file of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) which has been claiming responsibility for the rash of bomb attacks on oil and gas installations in the Southsouth over the last few months.

    A splinter group from NDA styled Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) announced its birth yesterday citing  call for peace in the region by the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan and the resolve of the Buhari Administration to clean up areas devastated by oil   and gas exploration.

    It also said it is now convinced about the genuineness of the peace  initiative of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

    Spokesman for the RNDA,Cynthia White in a statement quoted by Sahara Reporters yesterday threatened to expose the brains behind the recent resurgence of violence in the Niger Delta which brought oil production down to 1.2million barrels per day from  almost 1.8million barrels.

    It offered to join the MEND Aaron  Team 2 peace initiative  “through the clearing house  of Niger Delta Dialogue and Contact  Group  (NDDCG) headed by  HRH King Alfred Diette-Spiff.”

    Besides,it pledged cooperation with government by “exposing  the identities of our comrades  who remain stubborn in their insistence to continue attacks.”The RNDA added: “it will shock the nation to know the Jekyll and Hyde personality behind the pseudonym  ‘Brigadier General  Murdoch Aginibo’ and our sponsors.

    It advised the Indigenous  People of Biafra (IPOB)  to also embrace peace by  accepting the concession  secured by MEND for the release of the detained Biafran agitator,Nnamdi Kanu,saying those advising Kanu to reject the renunciation of   Biafra as a condition for his release  “do not love him or appreciate the level of treason this simple act of common sense humility can extricate him from.”

    It warned the IPOB that the Niger Delta will “no longer be your proxy in a war to achieve your ambition,” and the NDA to “stop being defiant  and embrace peace and the wise counsel we all received from former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Jonathan on a visit to his successor,president Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday had said he was working with traditional rulers,elders and opinion leaders in the region to restore peace following the recent resurgence of violence.

    He said he remained firmly against the balkanization of Nigeria because according to him : “So many  countries produce more oil than Nigeria,nobody notices them;we are great because of our size,the human resources we have,the diversity we have.If we fragmentize the country into small components,we will be forgotten by the world.”

  • Avengers reveal links with Lagos, Ogun killer gangs

    Avengers reveal links with Lagos, Ogun killer gangs

    The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) yesterday claimed it had links with the militants who recently invaded communities in Lagos and Ogun states.

    It condemned the Armed Forces for routing the killer gangs.

    In a statement by its spokesman Mudoch Agbinibo, posted on its website, NDA condemned the military operations, especially the air raids, which decimated the militants who killed several innocent people, destroyed property and abducted others, including a traditional ruler.

    The NDA, which claimed that no militant was killed in the operations, said military onslaught would not deter it from its regional agitation.

    The group, which claimed to have opened a fresh Twitter account in the name of its spokesman, echoed the call for national restructuring.

    It condemned the Armed Forces for showing videos of their operations in the camps of the killer gangs in Ogun State.

    Claiming that only women and children were killed in the raids, the NDA challenged the military to prove that militants were killed in their raids.

    The statement said: “The military is playing some war game on some illegal bunkering camps and showing video of how they carried out the bombardment. That is so unprofessional. Do they think they can intimidate the NDA with those scrap jet bombers. They can deploy fourth generation jet bombers, but that will not stop us from fighting for our people.

    “We challenge the military to share with the public the militants killed in the so-called air strike. We are sure they won’t share the images of militants killed because none was killed, except innocent women and children.”

    On the need for the Federal Government to restructure the country, NDA said: “What we are saying is that the country should be restructured.

    “The call for restructuring of Nigeria has gone beyond the NDA. The only group of persons against the restructuring are in the Villa. The Federal Government should listen to the voice of the citizens, instead of playing the deaf-ear game.”