An ex-militant leader in the Niger Delta, Africanus Ukparasia popularly called Gen, Africa has warned the Federal Government against negotiating with the Niger Delta Avengers. According to him, negotiating with the Avengers is a clear recipe for the emergence of hundreds of armed groups in the creeks of the Niger Delta with the hope of benefiting from criminality. Gen. Africa stated that Government Ekpemopulo (A.K.A Tompolo) is blackmailing the federal government to force them to negotiate with him and his sponsors. All ex-agitators captured in the Amnesty Programme have dissociated themselves from the criminal activities of the Niger Delta Avengers, who themselves are beneficiaries of the federal government Amnesty Programme. The Amnesty office has also dissociated itself from them. We are going to work with the security agencies to fish them out to face the law.”
Loading ...Gen. Africa revealed how he alerted security agencies earlier this year of how Tompolo was training these boys in Ese Ode Local Government Area of Ondo state, and how 19 metal boats mounted with double 200 horse-powered engines each were delivered to prosecute this criminal mission. According to him, it was published on the national dailies, but the Nigerian security forces did nothing about it till it got out of their hands.
He expressed readiness alongside other ex-militant leaders in the region who supported and worked assiduously for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to fight and capture Tompolo and his Lieutenants for the federal government to face the law. He warned that the Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu should stop encouraging negotiations with the Avengers or any such group as many other criminal groups would emerge to hold the federal government to ransom. Gen. Africa said the move is unacceptable and would be sternly resisted by ex-fighters who worked for the APC.
Gen. Africa also accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of being behind the Niger Delta Avengers. He said having accepted defeat; Goodluck Jonthan refused to disarm these people who promised to destabilize the government in the event that the APC won. True to that promise, they are destroying the economy of the country by bombing oil and gas pipelines and further polluting the already degraded environment.
He said unequivocally that this fight has nothing to do with the betterment of the living conditions of the people of the Niger Delta region but simply because they have lost the juicy multi-billion naira pipeline protection contracts and billions of naira paid to them by oil block owners, and coupled with the EFCC cases against them is what is causing the crisis.
According to him, if Goodluck Jonathan was truly an Ijaw man who loved his people, why didn’t he do any meaningful thing for his people? In six years as President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan did not commission any project in Bayelsa state. The last time any federal government project was commissioned in Bayelsa state was in 2006 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo commissioned the connection of Bayelsa state to the national power grid and other projects. Gen. Africa warned that former President Goodluck Jonathan should advise his boys to lay down their arms immediately or be held responsible for whatever consequences that would necessarily arise from their criminal activities as he, Gen. Africa and other ex-fighters would no longer allow the Avengers to go unchallenged to destroy oil facilities in their territories.
According to Africa, the Avengers who are calling for the release of Sambo Dasuki and Nnamdi Kanu are not fighting a Niger Delta cause. He played down the threat by the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Front (JNDLF) to bomb the Aso Rock Villa, the Police Headquarters, Defence Headquarters and other national assets in Abuja, Lagos and Kaduna as a mere threat. He said they know each others’ capacity in the Niger Delta and they should not bite more than they can chew. Gen. Africa also warned the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) to steer clear of anything that has to do with the Niger Delta region because their meddlesomeness could cause a major conflict between the two regions. He said the Niger Delta has not forgotten the ill treatment meted out to the Niger Delta people under the old Eastern Region. He warned them to stop including the Niger Delta in their imaginary map of the Republic of Biafra.
Gen. Africa pledged to work with the Nigerian military to deal decisively with criminals operating in the Niger Delta and warned Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the federal government not to negotiate with criminals because if they do, they would not be able to contain the next round of economic sabotage and armed struggle in the region.
