No ceasefire agreement with FG — Niger Delta Avengers

NIGER Delta Avengers (NDA) has denied any ceasefire agreement with the Federal Government.

It will be recalled that a two-week ceasefire that was to usher in dialogue between the militants and the Federal Government to end destruction of oil and gas installations was reported to have been agreed upon.

It will also be recalled that the Avengers had sustained their rejection and misgivings concerning the proposed dialogue, calling interested parties from the region political jobbers.

In response to the ceasefire muted by the Federal Government, the presence of soldiers in the creeks were scaled down while search for the suspected militants also abated.

The two weeks ceasefire by government expired Tuesday, prompting followers of the Niger Delta Avengers to raise questions on reported renewal of the agreement.

NDA, in a tweet last night, said “The NDA high command never remember having any agreement on ceasefire with the Nigeria government.”

Speculation has been on since last week’s visit by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, to the Niger Delta to talk to some critical stakeholders on way out of the renewed militancy in the region.

After the visit of the minister to liaise with various stakeholders in the region, there has been no bombing of oil and gas facilities.

Militants threaten to attack govs, make 7-point demand, including defreezing Tompolo bank accounts

THE Joint Revolutionary Council, JRC, of the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, JNDLF, yesterday, warned that it would go after any state governor from the Niger Delta region that betrays the current struggle by militants. The militant group gave the warning on a day the Niger Delta Avengers blew up a key crude oil pipeline, belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Agip Eni, in Bayesla State making it the 16th  of such attacks on pipelines since it commenced pipeline bombing on February 10.

JNDLF in a statement by the Commander, General Duties, JNDLF, General Akotebe Darikoro, and three others, also explained why the militant group did not launch six missiles in the region as earlier threatened. The group, which has agreed to engage in dialogue with the Federal Government also made a seven-point demand to forestall further attacks.

Its words: “We shall continue to engage in dialogue if our demands are met. Our representatives for the dialogue, especially the governors and others will not betray our demands with the federal government.

Any betrayal on their own part shall be viewed as betrayal of the entire region and we shall go after them immediately as they know our mode of operation in which they will not escape from us.”

Failed missiles

The group asserted: “There is no gainsaying that we made our earlier promise to launch six Missiles simultaneously against some targeted areas. But this was waved aside as a result of appeals made to us through email by the Federal Government and some international nations to open talks with (President) Buhari.”

“We saw some genuine aspiration on the part of Buhari, who made several contacts to us to see reason with them over the issue of under-development of the region. And since he (Buhari) had set the ball rolling for a clear negotiation with us, there is no problem without solution.

We have therefore declared ceasefire in order to negotiate with the government if it is a true reflection of what they have in mind to develop the Niger Delta region”.

The group added that: “We are not ready to negotiate with the federal government for the sake of monetary benefit to us but how genuinely the government will develop the region is at the centre of our discussion and anything less than that we will continue our struggle without further warning to the federal government.”

Another militant group emerges in Niger Delta, demands 60% of oil blocks

A new militant group, Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta, has emerged in the region.

The group has threatened to continue to attack oil and gas facilities across the Niger Delta region until the Nigerian government agrees to award 60 per cent oil blocs to the people of the region.

The Warriors , who made their first public statement on Wednesday also demanded that the federal government allows the $16 billion Export Processing Zone otherwise called Delta Gas City project to begin operations in earnest.

It, however, gave the government a two-week ultimatum to ensure that their demands were adequately met for a lasting ceasefire in the region.

Spokesperson of Ultimate Warrior, as it chose to be addressed, Sibiri Taiowoh, said if the FG truly wanted peace in the region, it should award 60 per cent oil bloc to indigenous people from the region as its primary demand for a ceasefire.

The group further asked for commencement of academic activities at the Federal Maritime University established during the regime of former President, Goodluck Jonathan.