We Are Ready for War - Niger Delta Militants Dare President Buhari

Niger Delta militants on Saturday threatened ‘war’ while
dissociating themselves from the meeting elders from
the oil-rich region had with President Muhammadu
Buhari in Abuja, last Tuesday.
Apart from distancing themselves from the meeting, they
warned the Federal Government not to rejoice yet over
the recent rise in oil production in the country,
threatening that a series of attacks await oil facilities in
the region in the days ahead.
The militants also asked the Federal Government to drop
the charges against Government Ekpemupolo, also
known as Tompolo, and other leaders from the region.
The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, which is the
only militant group that has refused to key into the
ceasefire with the government, also claimed
responsibility for Wednesday’s bombing of the Trans-
Forcados Crude Export pipelines near Batan community
in the Warri South-West Council Area of Delta State.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu,
had on Tuesday said Nigeria’s oil production had
recently risen to normal after a sharp drop earlier this
year due to renewed militant attacks on oil and gas
facilities in the region.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its spokesperson,
Aldo Agbalaja, the militant group accused President
Muhammadu Buhari’s government of plotting to wage
war against the people of the Niger Delta region.
“As a matter of fact, what the Avengers did to the oil
industry will be nothing compared to the grand plan
already set by our central command. We shall bring
Nigeria’s daily output quota to below 500,000 barrels.
Just be ready for the approaching tsunami.
“The multinational oil companies, we know you are
recalcitrant and will always come to test wills, we hope
you will continue in this tradition so there will always
be reason to let the world know that ‘you don’t contest
the corners of a house with the owner of the house.’
“The destruction of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline is just
a warning. We warned against the restarting of the
facility, but the daring companies won’t listen. That
shadow operation that brought the TFP down was only
meant to let these companies know that we aren’t
kidding with them; when we say stay down, you stay
down, and it’s in your best interest.”
The militant group described last Tuesday’s meeting
between Buhari and stakeholders, including traditional
rulers from the region as a humiliation of the people of
the Niger Delta.
“The humiliation that came with the meeting of the
elders with President Muhammadu Buhari did not come
to the NDGJM as a surprise. We expected it because we
know even the government knows the character and
intent of the man and most of those he led to the
meeting.
“The only painful part is the fact that the humiliation is
stamped on the collective image of our people.
However, we want to dare President Buhari and his
administration to attempt or fully carry out his military
action against our people and see the response that will
follow.
“We want to say here, without mincing words, that we
are aware of his intentions. We heard loud and clear his
hostile message, we understand his message and the
NDGJM is saying we are ready for him. We know he has
reportedly threatened war on our people; we had been
calm enough not to respond to the threats, but at this
point, we believe it is time for us to come out to say to
him ‘enough is enough.’
“If it is war, bring it on, we are no cowards, just be sure
you can sustain the consequences because this is not
going to be another vanquished ‘Biafran Uprising’. Niger
Deltans are nobody’s slaves; we shall fight until there’s
nothing left to defend.”
Similarly, leaders of the Niger Delta Peoples Democratic
Front, Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta, and other major
players in the Niger Delta Avengers, who spoke with
SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, said they were not a party
to the 16-point demand presented by their leaders to
Buhari.
The leader of the NDPDF, simply identified as General
Playboy, faulted the stakeholders’ meeting with Buhari,
describing it as a platform for them (leaders) to expose
their selfish interests.
He expressed surprise that the 16-point agenda
submitted by the Niger Delta stakeholders to the Federal
Government did not address the issues of Tompolo who
was declared wanted by the FG.
He said, “The stakeholders are talking about
negotiation. They are talking about $10bn for Niger
Delta people; they (stakeholders) are thinking about oil
blocs that will be released to Niger Delta people and
how they will share it among themselves. That is the
only thing they are thinking of.
“They have refused to talk about the fact that there is a
matter against Tompolo that should be dropped. None of
the stakeholders is thinking about others; they are only
thinking of themselves. But it will not work as far as I
am concerned except President Buhari comes down here
to know the problem of the Niger Delta. That is when
Nigeria will have peace. If not, there will be no peace.
We are not interested in what the stakeholders went to
do in Abuja.’’
The militant leader stated that a situation where ex-
agitators like Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo, Boyloaf and
Soboma Jackrich (Egberipapa) were not part of the
stakeholders’ meeting, was an indication that
government was not ready for peace.
“Any meeting geared towards peace without protecting
Tompolo’s interest will fail. Tompolo himself cannot
come out to negotiate his freedom. As far as we are
concerned, Tompolo’s case needs a political resolution,
just like that of Henry Okah and Charles Okah.
“These are forces in the region that should not be
undermined. We want the Federal Government as part of
the dialogue process to get a legal framework to free
Okah and let Tompolo have peace otherwise peace will
continue to elude the region, and oil pipelines will be
blown off continuously to protest their persecution.”
Apart from persons from the region who were facing
prosecution, he also demanded the release of the
Indigenous People of Biafra’s leader, Namdi Kanu.
Similarly, a member of the Niger Delta Avengers who
spoke on condition of anonymity told SUNDAY PUNCH
that peace would continue to evade the oil-rich Niger
Delta until the government stops the persecution of
Tompolo and other leaders of the region.
He said, “All the politically motivated cases against
Tompolo, Godsday Orubebe, Kingsley Kuku, Dr. Patrick
Akpobolokemi, and Mrs. Patience Jonathan, should be
dropped by the Federal Government, otherwise, agitation
continues.”
Also, the spokesperson for the Ultimate Warriors of
Niger Delta, Sibiri Taiowoh, vowed that his group would
open a new chapter to the struggle.
He said, “We will return to the drawing board. And we
know the Federal Government will fail (to meet the
demands) because they are not sincere. We have lost
faith in Buhari, so whether he will grant all the requests
or not is irrelevant to us.’’

Source: Punch