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Tag: Niger Delta Avengers

  • Niger Delta Avengers give conditions for dialogue with FG

    Niger Delta Avengers give conditions for dialogue with FG

    Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) on Monday indicated interest in discussing with the Nigerian government.

    But the group that has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on oil and gas facilities across the Niger Delta region has spelt out some stringent conditions for any dialogue.

    It will be recalled that this is the first time the group has shown any readiness to discuss with the administration of President Buhari-led administration.

    The decision is contained in a statement signed by the its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, in which the Avengers said it was ready to negotiate with the government if there are good grounds for such deliberation.

    However, the group said it was yet to see any signs that the government had made new concessions.

    Speaking in the statement that was posted on the group’s website Agbinibo said: “The high command of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is using this medium to restate that there are no new items to put on the table for dialogue, we only want a genuine attitude and conducive atmosphere that will make us commit to any proposed dialogue and last peace talk.

    “We want the federal government to commit members states of the multinational Oil Corporations to commit independent mediators to this proposed dialogue; we believed that it is only such environment that will engender genuine dialogue that will be aimed at setting up a framework for achieving the short, medium and long term demands of the Niger delta to de-escalating this conflict and bring about a lasting peace.”

    The group further noted that the NDA is restating its commitment to attack the interest of oil corporation and international refineries operators that bring in vessels to the Niger delta territory to buy oil that every successive government have refused to use and reapply the proceeds towards any development in the region since 1958.

    “If they refuse to heed our advice will result to sinking of two their mother vessel as an example to others They should not undertake any repair of pipeline, oil and gas facilities that are damaged or attacked by our forces during this period of “Operation Red Economy” until and/or after the dialogue.

    “We are using this medium to warn and condemn the activities of all brands of social media agitators being peddled around by some politicians to promote their criminal ways in the affairs of the Niger Delta. This genuine spirit behind our struggle for the Niger Delta cannot be derailed on the basis of connivance by politicians, traditional rulers, settled ex- agitators and criminals moving around to fill their pockets.

    “The issues of the Niger delta are as old and as new as the days of Pa. Dappa Biriye, Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, to Ken Saro Wiwa and the government of President Musa Yar’ Adua. We are warning this government of President muhammadu Buhari, not to turn the essence of genuine peace talk and dialogue to political jamboree that is prevailing now where all manner of social media agitators and criminals have being sponsored by the job seeking corrupt political class to safe faces before the government of the day.

    “Finally, if need be we may review our earlier stance of not taking lives. We are going to redirect and reactivate all our activities if the government, oil companies and their services firms don’t heed to these modest warnings of not carrying out any repair works   and suspend the buying of crude oil from our region as we await the right atmosphere that will engender genuine dialogue.

    “We want a peace with honour not a peace of our time”

    The group’s latest decision is coming at about a week after the government ordered troops in the oil-rich region to end onslaught against the militants.

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  • FG serious about ending Niger-Delta crisis- Tompolo

    FG serious about ending Niger-Delta crisis- Tompolo

    Embattled former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) has called on the leaders of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to call off the group’s campaign and sign on to federal government’s dialogue option.
    Tompolo, who was recently speculated to have escaped to Libya, in an open letter also expressed the belief that the federal government was serious about ending the oil-rich region’s intermittent armed struggling.
    Tompolo also reiterated his earlier claim of not being involved in the formation or operations of the dreaded militant group, the Avengers, adding that the group’s activities had only given vent to rumour peddling from those intent on implicating and profiteering from the Niger Delta crisis.
    He, however, advised those operating the militant group to call it off, take advantage of government’s call for dialogue as their activities were rubbing off negatively on the Niger Delta region and its peoples.
    “I wish to once again write the members of the Niger Delta Avengers to embrace the Federal Government dialogue option as a way out of the brewing crisis in the Niger Delta region. As I have said before now, I do not know you and how to reach you except through the mass media, therefore it is high time you stopped the bombing and destruction of crude oil facilities in the Niger Delta region.
    “One thing you guys may not be aware of is that, you have not only succeeded in militarizing the Niger Delta region now, but also succeeded in given birth to so many negotiators and political jobbers within the government circle, who are very serious rumour peddlers in the country now.
    “I wish to reiterate that you guys must stop the bombing and destruction of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region now and embrace the dialogue option from the Federal Government as it is (dialogue) the only pragmatic means in resolving a crisis no matter huge and complicated such crisis is.
    “I believe fervently that the Government is serious and willing to end this re-occurring crisis in the Niger Delta region. Enough is enough”, Tompolo said.
    He expressed displeasure at the manner in which the military personnel who carried out the recent operations in some Gbaramatu communities allegedly violated the communities, especially his Oporoza home community, and dislocated the people’s everyday life.
    “As for the people of Gbaramatu kingdom, they have not known peace since you guys started the bombing of oil facilities as they have been harassed, intimidated, violated and invaded on daily bases by the Nigerian Military under the guise of looking for members of your group (Niger Delta Avengers) and my humble self, who they have criminally and wickedly linked to the Niger Delta Avengers.
    “Presently all communities in Gbaramatu kingdom have been disserted by residents for fear of a repeat of the 2009 military invasion, which still leave the communities in shambles. Even till now, the military has not returned the symbol of authority they took away from the Egbesu Shrine and other valuables in Oporoza community during the May 28, 2016 invasion.
    “It is pertinent to state that I have not heard and seen in any part of Nigeria, even the most volatile North Eastern part of Nigeria,where Boko Haram has been killing innocent people, the way and manner the Military desecrated the traditional worship centres in Gbaramatu Kingdom. This is a clear oppression and intimidation of the peace loving people of Gbaramatu Kingdom”, he said.

  • ACF to Avengers: Stop attack on oil facilities

    Mouthpiece of Northern Nigeria, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has told the new militants group, the Niger-Delta Avengers, to stop their attack on oil facilities.

    ACF said the group’s actions which are sabotaging the nation’s economic progress are unacceptable.

    ACF Chairman and former Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Coomassie, in a telephone chat with The Nation said, the several attacks carried out by the NDA were unjustifiable, as necessary machinery to develop the region have been put in place by the Federal Government.

    Coomassie said, “There is Ministry of Niger-Delta, they have Niger-Delta Development Company and they have amnesty intervention and money was being passed through all these agencies. So, why didn’t they develop their areas?

    “Why are they asking for more? They were in government and certain projects were diverted there, including the fund for the dredging of River Niger. What else do they want?”

     

  • Rivers govt warns against militancy, pipeline vandalism

    Rivers govt warns against militancy, pipeline vandalism

    The Rivers State government has warned militant youths who are vandalising pipelines and other installations of oil companies in the Niger Delta to sheathe their swords and embrace the truce initiated by the Federal Government.

    Rivers Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, made the admonition yesterday at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

    She called on stakeholders to ensure a lasting solution to the endemic poverty and poor infrastructural development in the crude oil and gas-rich region and work towards upgrading the capital base of Port Harcourt like that of Abuja and Lagos, to equate it as truly the Industrial hub of Nigeria.

    Harry-Banigo stated that the continuous bombing of oil facilities in the Niger Delta by the Niger Delta Avengers and other militant groups was inimical to economic, environmental and human survival, stressing that the water, land and the entire ecosystem were being polluted and destroyed.

    Rivers deputy governor noted that although the vandalism of oil facilities in the Niger Delta was being perpetuated outside Rivers state, but called on parents and guardians across the region to prevail on their children and wards to shun acts that would impede the actualisation of peace and sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

    Harry-Banigo also said there was the need for an aggressive, pragmatic and holistic development master plan that would transform the lives of the people and create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the Niger Delta, pointing out that militancy and youth restiveness would be greatly reduced, when the people of the region were gainfully engaged.

    Meanwhile, the Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, also yesterday inaugurated the caretaker committee chairmen of three local government areas of the state, with a charge to them to support the ongoing security drive, to rid the state of cultists.

    Those inaugurated included Gbara Erelo (Khana LG council), Monday  Dum-Iye (Gokana) and Adonye Kelly Diri (Opobo/Nkoro).

    Wike stated that the caretaker committee chairmen had a responsibility to cooperate with security agencies to build the security architecture of their LGAs.

    He noted that any of the caretaker chairmen who failed to cooperate with the security agencies would lose his appointment.

    Rivers governor said: “Make sure you cooperate with the security agencies to flush out cultists. We cannot allow the cultists disturb the peace and security of the state. Enough is enough.”

    Wike also disclosed that he had received security reports, which he said the security agencies would act upon, as they relate to the sponsors of the cultists.

    He noted that any official of the Rivers government found to be connected to the cultists would be arrested and prosecuted.

    The governor also directed the caretaker committee chairmen to ensure that they pay their workers’ monthly salaries regularly.

     

  • APC accuses PDP of sponsoring Niger Delta Avengers

    APC accuses PDP of sponsoring Niger Delta Avengers

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) is blaming the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

    The Avengers are the brains behind the latest wave of attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta.

    Rising from a meeting in Benin, the South South zone of the APC accused the PDP of sponsoring the group for the purpose of frustrating the Buhari administration.

    It said: “The zone is cocksure that the nefarious and ruinous activities of the ‘Avengers’ are not driven by any patriotic and altruistic impulse.

    “We have compelling reasons to strongly assert that these activities are sponsored and instigated by the opposition PDP to derail and frustrate the APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari because of its determination to fight against corruption, stabilise and put our country on the path of sustainable development.”

    The APC told agitators for Biafra to desist from including the South South as part of the “imaginary State of Biafra.”

    It said such claims were dubious as “Niger Delta is not, cannot and will never be part of Biafra.”

    It hailed President Muhammadu  Buhari for his courage to commence the clean-up of Ogoniland and other parts of Niger Delta and asked the federal government to reconstitute the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission to reflect and accommodate all the constituent states of the region.

  • Army’s repudiation of dialogue with Niger Delta Avengers

    Army’s repudiation of dialogue with Niger Delta Avengers

    THIS is the season of interesting revelations. At a State of the Nation conference organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja on Tuesday, Brig.-Gen. J. Hamakim, representing the Chief of Army Staff, argued that while the army was not opposed to dialogue, it would not enter into talks with the Niger Delta Avengers because there were no signs the group was itself ready for dialogue. The army misses the point.
    It is the political authority that takes the decision on when to levy war or make peace. The decision to dialogue is not the army’s. Theirs is to do or die, not to reason why. They can be part of the decision-making process, behind closed doors, but once the decision has been taken, there is nothing left for the army to reason about. It is clear the army still misunderstands its place in the system, a place it exaggerates because of the long years of military rule. That is why it sometimes peremptorily embarks on extraordinary political assignments, such as the scandalous intervention in Kogi State recently when they took over the State House of Assembly, and in Onitsha last week where scores of pro-Biafra protesters were killed.
    The culture of military rule has appeared not to have ended. The situation is not helped by President Buhari’s government which is unable to draw a line between military and civilian rule. This has led to the introduction of strange and adulterated elements into democracy like ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo did between 1999 and 2007. There is indeed a difference, and that difference must be underscored, and the army educated to appreciate it. When asked questions within the purview of civil authorities, the army should henceforth know its limits.

  • Avengers, other militant groups disagree on missile launch

    Avengers, other militant groups disagree on missile launch

    There was discordant tunes within the militant groups operating in the Niger Delta region following a threat by some militants to launch six missiles in the region.

    The militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), which had claimed responsibilities for ongoing onslaughts against oil installations, Saturday, disassociated itself from threats to launch missiles in the region.

    It rather asked persons behind the threat to sheathe their swords and key into its motive of crippling the country’s oil production without bloodshed.

    A consolidated group of militants under the aegis of Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF), which claimed NDA was its member, threatened to launch six missiles in the Niger Delta region.

    The group said it would commence the testing of its six missiles which would last for three days on June 7.

    Though it did not disclose the nature of the missiles, it warned that no airplanes should fly in and out of the country within the period claiming that the weapons were capable of hitting any object despite its size.

    It said its fighters trained for that purpose had already arrived the region with its foreign partners through what it described as the country’s porous borders.

    The group in an electronic statement said it took the decision to further wreck havoc in the region in a meeting attended in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State by its commanders.

    The militant group said Bayelsa State not Delta State is the command base of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) and warned the Commissioner of Information and Orientation in Bayelsa, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite to stop criticizing NDA.

    The group in the statement which repeatedly referred to President Muhammadu Buhari as Pharoh, said the highest organ of JNDLF, the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) concluded that the launching of the missiles would signal its readiness for the final breakup of the country.

    Persons who endorsed the statement for the group identified themselves as ‘General’ Torunanaowei Latei (Creek Network Coordinator); ‘General’ Agbakakuro Owei-Tauro (Pipeline Bleeding Expert); ‘General’ Akotebe Darikoro (Commander, General Duties) and ‘General’ Pulokiri Ebikade (Intelligence Bureau).

    But NDA in an electronic statement signed by its Spokesman, Murdock Agbinibo, warned other groups to desist from an act capable of causing bloodshed in the region.

    Agbinibo said there was no need to launch missiles or take life of any person since the military warplanes had not struck in the region.

    He said: “The military warplanes hovering round our towns and villages have not strike a soul or destroy any property, so those groups with anti aircraft missiles should dry their gunpowder.

    “When it is time to engage the military in combat the whole world will know they started the war not the Avengers. The Niger delta avengers high command will pass the message round that its time to engage on gun battle when it is time.

    “So far, we have not engaged the Nigeria military in combat; despite the heavy presence of military on the pipelines. we still find way to carry out our actions without attacking soldiers. The avengers will deal with any group that refuses and attack military.

    “The high command is calling on all groups in Rivers, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom to not indulge in any act of kidnapping and attacking of soldiers. The war is on oil installations; ‘Operation On Flow of Oil’. God is our strength; he is going to see the people of Niger delta through.

    “Let us be careful not offend God in the process of trying to liberate our people from the shackles of the Nigerian government because we need God more than anything right now. We also need the international bodies as well. Hence, we must desist from any life threatening actions that will derail our genuine struggle for our people.

    “All groups are hereby discouraged from indulging in harassing oil workers and soldiers. We urge you all to help any oil workers or soldiers you see in distress”.

    The NDA spokesman added: “The liberation of the Niger delta people has taken a new swing with the daily emergence of new groups all over the region. The avengers are calling on all groups in the region to be strong and resolute as it is obvious that God is on our side.

    “The groups are much now both real and unreal but if you really fighting for the liberation of the Niger delta people. The high command of the avengers is calling on you not to attack any soldier and those claiming to have anti aircraft missiles should deist from targeting any aircraft.”

  • NSCDC confirms attack on Agip pipeline

    The Bayelsa Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) on Friday confirmed attacks on crude oil pipelines belonging to Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in the state.

    The corps Commandant, Mr. Desmond Agu, said the Agip’s Ogboinbiri-Tebidaba and Clough Creek-Tebidaba Crude Oil pipelines in the state were attacked.

    He said: “The pipelines located within Agip’s oil fields were attacked. We got the reports that the pipeline was attacked when it has been shut down, so there is no loss of crude or leak.

    “We have dispatched our men and have intensified patrols in the area. We are working round the clock to protect critical infrastructure in Bayelsa.”

    A new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers claimed responsibility for the incident in a message from the group’s twitter handle on Thursday.

  • Militants warn of “zero” oil output in new attacks

    The Niger Delta Avengers militant group claimed three new attacks on the country’s battered oil infrastructure overnight, promising to bring Nigeria’s oil production to “zero.”

    The attacks are the latest in a spate of violence in the Niger Delta region that last month cut production to a more than 22-year low and has put more pressure on Nigeria’s stretched finances, Reuters reported.

    Early on Friday, the group said via its Twitter account it had blown up a pipeline in Bayelsa State owned by Italy’s ENI, hours after attacks on another ENI pipeline as well as one belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).

    “At about 3:30am our (@NDAvengers) strike team blew up the Brass to Tebidaba Crude oil line in Bayelsa,” Reuters quoted group as saying on a Twitter feed it uses to claim attacks.

    In a press release the group said its attacks had brought Nigeria’s oil production to just 800,000 barrels per day (bpd), from 2 million bpd, “without killing a soul,” though they hit infrastructure feeding crude grades already under force majeure.

  • Military rules out negotiations with militants

    The Nigerian military on Thursday ruled out negotiation with the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), warning the militants to stop sabotaging the economy.

    The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, stated this at the inauguration of the Nigerian Air Force’ (NAF) newly purchased 10 highly-militarised Honker Scorpion vehicles.

    The Nation reports that the vehicles were acquired to enhance the Base Defence Concept (BDC), following the 2013 attack on NAF’s base in Maiduguri.

    Olonisakin, who said the military was bent on asserting its authority and upholding the nation’s dignity, insisted that it will not tolerate any threat to the stability of the nation.

    According to the CDS, the defence architecture was very much in place, advising agitators including the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to seek better ways of airing their grievances.

    “There are better ways to air their grievances than the way they go about it. The right way is to get necessary permit and protest. If they are violent, we will not take it lightly with them.

    “The vehicles being commissioned were procured specifically for the purpose of enhancing security of the air assets within the area of their deployment.

    “The equipments are certainly geared towards raising and maintaining the capability of the regiment troops as they contribute to our collective efforts to address the various security challenges confronting our nation.

    “I must commend the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, for this strategic initiative of providing troops with adequate equipment and for undertaking numerous other projects which culminate into actualising his vision for the NAF.

    “I will like to say that I am very impressed with the CAS’ achievements within the short period of assumption of office. The procurement of these Honker Airfield Defence vehicles is a testimony of the importance the NAF attaches to protection of its critical assets and force protection,” he said.