The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to fish out the real persons bombing oil pipelines in the Niger Delta Region.
Loading ...The IYC spokesman, Eric Omare, who made this call in Yenagoa on Monday, strongly condemned “the noxious activities of a new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA),” saying that there was no reason for them to embark on destruction of oil facilities and pollution of the region’s environment.
The new militant group had claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on the SPDC platform at Forcados, the Chevron Okan platform at Abiteye in Escravos, and the pipelines transporting crude oil to the Warri and the Kaduna refineries.
However, Omare believed that the destruction of oil facilities was not the way forward for the region.
He said, “We do not see the justification in the Niger Delta Avengers embarking on destruction of oil facilities because Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, denounced the group.
“I think Tompolo did the proper thing by coming out to inform the entire world that he was not part of the NDA when there were insinuations to the effect that he was behind them.
“As with other cases of attack on oil facilities, the Niger Delta environment and people are the ultimate victims and would suffer from these latest attacks. The IYC believes that irrespective of their grievances, there are better ways of expressing them rather than contributing to the further destruction of the already massively degraded Niger Delta environment.
“The security agencies should go after the real culprits and not innocent communities and people in the region. From our experience, the security personnel in a bid to impress their superiors and justify the huge amount of money budgeted for the purpose, always attack innocent communities and people.
“This must not be allowed to happen this time around. We would also advise the Federal Government to be prompt in directing security agencies to deal with insurgent groups all over the country including the Fulani herdsmen who have been killing innocent Nigerians just like they have just directed in respect of the Niger Delta Avengers.”
Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Avengers have listed down terms and conditions, Nigeria’s leader, President Buhari has to meet for peace to reign in the country otherwise it would continue the destruction of oil installations across the country.
The militant group which have claimed responsibilities of recent attacks on pipeline installations in Delta State, said in a recent press statement that it was “shifting targets to Lagos and Abuja.”
Although there seems to be resurgence in militancy as demonstrated by the enormity of recent damage to pipelines in Delta State and other parts of the Niger Delta, it is clear that no one has been able to lay his finger on the penetrators or understand the reasons for the renewed violence.
However, what can be deduced from the allegations and counter-allegations peddled by well-known former militant leaders in the region suggest that the factors responsible for the current situation range from economic or business interest to political and ethnic factors.
That was the situation a couple of months ago when the one of the most visible leaders of the dreaded militant groups, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Chief Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) over allegations that he was involved in fraudulent multibillion naira contracts.
In a 40-count charge, the EFCC alleged that Tompolo and others were accused of laundering billions of naira, being proceeds of stolen and official corruption. Tompolo has never been around to take his plea.
Since the militants know the attitude of the Nigerian government to the killing of her citizens, they tend to go for where it hurts the most, the economy of the nation – oil production facilities.
Thus, following the declaration of Tompolo as wanted by the EFCC, his supporters were said to have taken to bombing of oil pipelines and other facilities that would draw the federal government to the negotiation table.
The latest attack was at the Escravos Terminal and Tank Farm owned by the nation’s second largest oil producing company – Chevron Nigeria Limited – which is located in areas close to Tompolo’s stronghold of Gbaramatu, a move which may have drawn the federal government finally to the negotiation table as the case against the former warlord has been stalled.
As envisaged by the militants, government had feared that an attack on the nation’s economic mainstay would lead to a dwindling in revenue from oil and that a cut in production due to militant activities might spell great doom for the nation.
Spurred by the helplessness of the government, a new militant group which called itself The Niger Delta Avengers has come out and threatened to make the country’s economy worse by acts of sabotage. The threat was made via a statement issued by the group in a response to comments made by President Buhari during his visit to China.
It threatened to make the country’s economy worse by acts of sabotage, particularly in the oil sector. While in China, the President had said oil saboteurs will be treated harshly like Boko Haram terrorists, a comment the group considers denigrating to the Niger Delta struggle and an indication that the federal government considers oil more important than the lives of people of the Niger Delta region.
It dared the Presidency to do its worst, saying: “The Presidency can go ahead and setup a permanent security force, as stated by the Vice President when he visited the SPDC, Forcados Terminal. We are not deterred by such threats as we are highly spirited and shall continue blowing up pipelines until the Niger Delta people are no longer marginalised by the Nigerian actors. Yes, the military have sworn to lay down their lives to protect Nigeria. We have on our part sworn to do whatever is necessary to safeguard the interest of the Niger Delta people.”
We want the general public to note that the Nigerian Armed Forces collects three Naira per litre of the sum accruing from the total number of barrels loaded by any vessel in all illegal bunkering activities referred to as ‘black oil business,” it claimed.
The terms and conditions tendered by the group are listed below:
Immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference. Otherwise, this country will break-up forcefully.
President Buhari, the DS SSS and Timipre Sylva should apologize to the people of the Niger Delta region and family of Late Chief DSP Alamieyesegha for killing him with intimidation and harassment because of his party affiliation.
The ownership of oil blocks must reflect 60% for the oil producing people and 40% for the non-oil producing people.
The only Nigerian Maritime University sited in the most appropriate and befitting place Okerenkoko must start the 2015/2016 academic session immediately.
The minister of transportation, Mr Rotimi Amechi should apologize to the Ijaws and the entire Niger Delta people for his careless and reckless statement about the siting of the University.
The Ogoniland and indeed ll oil polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up and compensation be paid to all oil producing communities.
Mr Nnamdi Kanu, the Leader of IPOB must be released unconditionally as the court said.
The Niger Delta Amnesty programme must be well funded and let it continue to run effectively.
All APC members that are indicted in any corruption related cases should be made to face trial like the PDP members. Otherwise Buhari should shamefully forget about this nonsense anti-corruption fight.
All oil multi-nationals and foreign investors should observe this ultimatum, as their business interest in the country must be first target
A word is enough for the wise.
In addition the group said “to tell the Nigeria government that we mean business as at10:55am on Saturday the Forcados terminal crude oil export pipeline was blown up by Niger Delta Avengers”.
