The new militant group operating in the
oil-rich region of southern Nigeria, the Niger Delta Avengers has
refuted news reports that it has agreed on a ceasefire with the federal
government.
ThisDay and
several other papers reported on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 that Niger
Delta militants, including Niger Delta Avengers had agreed on a 30-day
ceasefire with the federal government has part of negotiations to end
hostilities in the troubled region.
The group used its handle on micro-blogging website, Twitter to refute the report saying that the group has no agreement
Niger Delta Avengers Denounces MEND, Timpre Sylva, Oshiomhole
In a similar vein, the Delta Avengers
has denounced the alleged role of “professional conflict merchants”
former Bayelsa governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, defunct militant group,
the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, and Edo
governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole their alleged role in the Niger Delta
crisis.
In a statement on the group’s website
on Saturday, June 18, 2016 the militants named a former warlord and
commander of MEND, Ebikabowei Ben, Boyloaf and Ayiri Emami, a man they
call an “APC thug”, along with the two politicians and accused all four
men of working for their political interests instead of that of the
Niger Delta region.
“The high command of the Niger Delta
Avengers (NDA) condemn in strong term the continuous efforts of Mr
Ebikabowei Ben (Boyloaf), Ayiri Emami, Timipre Silva, Adams Oshiomhole
and their paymasters to link and catch-in our activities to promote
their political MEND that has purportedly named a team to negotiate with
the Federal government,” the group said on in the statement signed by
its spokesperson, Brigadier General Mudoch Agbinibo.
“We are not however surprised by the
resurrection of the defunct MEND by these personalities because these
are groups of settled ex-fighters that they have been arming, regrouping
and re-branding over the years.
“The people of the Niger delta knows
that the likes of Timipre Silva, Boyloaf and Ayiri Emami are
professional conflict merchants in the region, the only surprise entry
is the outgoing Governor of Edo state Adams Oshiomhole which reason is
not far fetched,” the group said.
The Avengers accused Oshiomhole of
seeking assistant and machinery from the “criminal elements of the
defunct MEND”. The group also said it was making a “last appeal and
warning this so-called MEND” to excuse the group from “their criminal
ways and gang up” saying that the Niger Delta struggle cannot be
ambushed.
“We are making the last appeal and warning to this so-called MEND to excuse the NDA from their criminal ways and gangs ups.
“Nobody can ambush the struggle, the
world knows that Boyloaf and his group of bank robbers have been settled
since 2009 of which he is still collecting stipends for ghost names in
the presidential Amnesty program (PAP).
“Please Mr. Victor Ben (Boyloaf) if you
and your criminals want to resurrect the defunct MEND and negotiate with
the Government that is your business but stop using ghost names to
collect money from the Presidential Amnesty program. That is our only
advice and remember we know all your activities.
“We once again, restate that we are not
going to be part of any dialogue and peace that will achieve only “the
peace of our time” what the NDA want is peace with honour which will
enter the genuine framework in setting up the short , medium and long
term action plan to the restoration of the essence of quality human life
in the Niger Delta,” Agbinibo concluded.
Who are the Niger Delta Avengers
Niger Delta Avengers is a new militancy group that is operating in the oil-rich region of Southern Nigeria.
The militants say they are waging a war for a free Niger Delta Republic in what it tags, Operation Red Economy, with a view of halting crude oil production in Nigeria to force the government to grant the group’s demands.
The Avengers claim it has reduced oil production in the country to less than one million barrels a day. An analyst at VOA News corroborates the militants’ claims
saying that oil production has dropped below one million barrels a day
due to the waves of attacks on pipelines and oil installations.
The militant group has released its rules of engagement and
says that it doesn’t kill anybody or attack oil workers or soldiers.
The Delta Avengers called on all other groups operating in the region to
abide by these rules of engagement. “We need God now, more than ever,”
the group said in a statement.
The Niger Delta Avengers has presented
an 11-point demand to President Muhammadu Buhari and the first is the
implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference. [Download Conference report HERE.]
Pro-Biafra secessionist group, Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has pledged “total allegiance” to the Niger Delta Avengers extolling the militant group for supporting the cause of a free Biafra. MASSOB embraces the tenets of nonviolence. It is led by Ralph Uwazuruike, a lawyer.
Last week, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, another secessionist group pledged its support for the Niger Delta Avengers, saying the groups’ ideal of freedom align.
The MEND Factor
The Movement for the Emancipation of the
Niger Delta, MEND, is believed to be a defunct guerrilla militant group
and one of the largest of the groups which waged a campaign against oil
production in the Niger Delta region that successfully crippled the
nation’s economy from 2005 till 2009.
Some of the leaders of MEND were Henry Okah, who is currently serving a 24-year jail term for the October 1, 2010 bombing in Abuja; Government Ekpemupolo,
also known as Tompolo who is in a running battle with the Buhari
government and has called on the Avengers to embrace dialogue with the
federal government; Ateke Tom, whose Niger Delta Vigilante merged with MEND; and Ebikabowei Victor Ben, also known as Boyloaf who recently named Tompolo as the sponsor of the Niger Delta Avengers.
At the height of the war, the late
President Musa Yar’Adua declared Tompolo as the most wanted man in
Nigeria. The Niger Delta restiveness only ended when the late President Musa Yar’Adua successfully negotiated a cease-fire and launched the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme in 2009.
Leaders of MEND took the presidential amnesty and ended the conflict.
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