THE Niger Delta Avengers, the militant group that shut down Nigeria’s crude oil production for much of last year, as on Friday, on its website, announced an end to its ceasefire with the Federal Government.

According to the statement by its Spokesman, Murdoch Agbinibo, the NDA announced that it would resume hostilities against oil installations in the Niger Delta due to the insincerity of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

In the statement, NDA also accused Nigeria’s Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, as one of the key figures in the current administration that is sabotaging all the peace talks between the group and the Federal Government.

The group warned that though it had not carried out any attacks since the year began, it would resume attacks on key national oil assets just like it did last year when its attacks on Nigeria’s oil and gas installations sent International Oil Companies, IOCs, like Shell and Chevron, out of the region.

The group condemned the Pan Niger Delta Elders’ Forum, PANDEF, and Tompolo of offering advice that made the group accept a cease fire during its campaign in 2016, but that it had since lost fate in the Federal Government’s promise of keeping its promise to the region.

The NDA said it would no longer listen to any advice from either party, warning both not to attempt to come after the group as it has taking a head count and is sure all its operatives nationwide are on alert.

The NDA promised that the resumption of hostilities would be worse than the 2016 campaign to “bring Nigeria to the point of zero oil production. The state said:

“Our next line of operation will not be like the 2016 campaign which we operated successfully without any casualties; this outing will be brutish, brutal and bloody,” while promising to “crush everything we meet on our path to completely put off the fires that burn to flair gas in our communities and cut every pipe that moves crude away from our region. We can assure you that every oil installation in our region will feel warmth of the wrath of the Niger Delta Avengers.”

Below is a full text of the statement from the Niger Delta Avengers:

NIGER DELTA AVENGER’S CEASE FIRE ON OPERATION RED ECONOMY IS OFFICIALLY OVER.

The High Command of the Niger Delta Avengers wishes to bring to the notice of the International Community and the general public that there is no such militant group with the nomenclature, “Reformed Niger Delta Avengers”; it is not operated by any of our operatives but a money making tool in the hands of certain disgruntled Niger Deltan political jobbers in connivance with top government functionaries of the Buhari led Nigerian Government.

“The Intelligence Unit of the NDA has gathered from our sources in the Nigerian Government that the operatives of the said Reformed Niger Delta Avengers are some fraudsters from the Niger Delta region working with government functionaries like the office of the Director General of DSS, office of National Security Adviser and office of the Minister of Transport.

“The chain of Niger Delta fraudsters is which been led by one Richard Akinaka, Myke Loyibo and Famous Daunumugha and a host of others; has vowed to stop at nothing until they help the Nigerian Government to jeopardize the sincere efforts of the Niger Delta People at Economic, Social and Political freedom.

“To the elders of the Niger Delta, PANDEF, we warned you against the antics of the Nigerian Government yet you requested a chance to broker a new vision for our people; we told you and the rest of the world that the Nigerian Government is only interested in our oil wells and not our well being yet you told us the signs are different this time around. 

“Instead of allowing us to continue our quest to bring the Nigerian economy to our targeted zero daily production, which recorded huge success; you threatened us with Tompolo to stop the struggle; out of respect for elders and not to the threat of Tompolo we adhered the call and halted our strike actions hoping you (PANDEF) would keep your own side of the bargain.

The question to Tompolo and the PANDEF is to tell us what progress they achieved since we heeded your retrogressive call, to whose benefit is the move by Tompolo and the Niger Delta elders to impede a mission sanctioned by our ancestors and the Almighty?

“Tompolo, we want you to know that we never started this struggled with the intent of living forever but with our lives already offered for a sacrifice for a better Niger Delta. We invite you to come after us with your total force as we are no longer ready to heed uninspiring advise from you or anyone else in the Niger Delta Region.

“We have since lost faith in you (Tompolo) and PANDEF and have vowed never to heed any such retrogressive call or advise from you in the future; the recent disruption of the PANDEF 4th National Assembly by the Nigerian Government is the final evidence we needed to conclude that the Federal Government of Nigeria reserves not even a iota of respect for you (Tompolo) and the Niger Delta Elders as the position of the Nigerian Government is made emphatically known to the Niger Delta People that it’s ONLY interest remains the flow of oil from our region to the Central Bank of Nigeria. We want to make it known to the PANDEF and the Nigeria government that our call for halt on “Operation Red Economy” is officially over.

“Some of us can still remember those good old days in camp 5 when you (Tompolo) were the general of Generals, you told us (the young combatants) then, that “we are the future of the total emancipation of the Niger Delta, that we should also know we are not fighting for ourselves rather we are fighting for the next generation”.

“Sometimes we wonder where that charismatic General of Generals, has gone to. We bet, only you can answer that question. We still believe in you but we are sorry, like you said 10yrs ago “we are the future of the total emancipation of our people”; and we have since chosen this path and never back out until the total emancipation of our people is achieved.

“We have just concluded head count of our operatives across the Country; we are pleased to announce that all our operatives are intact and focused; ready to implement instructions from the High Command of the NDA in the going few days.

“To the Nigerian Government, we are aware of Egina FPSO built in South Korea by Samsung to be operated by Total Nigeria is one of the biggest FPSO built in South Korea has started it’s voyage to the oil fields of the Niger Delta to further exploit us while our concerns are left unattended. We are presently tracking and monitoring it’s movement; and God willing it shall not operate successfully in amidst the return of the fury of the Niger Delta Avengers.

“Message to the Oil Companies; Our next line of operation will not be like the 2016 campaign which we operated successfully without any casualties; this outing will be brutish, brutal and bloody, as we are shall crush everything we meet on our path to completely put off the fires that burn to flair gas in our communities and cut every pipe that moves crude away from our region. We can assure you that every oil installation in our region will feel warmth of the wrath of the Niger Delta Avengers.

“To you the operators of the social media Avengers (RNDA), be reminded that the Niger Delta Avengers are not the same as the toothless and cowardly MEND; we are men of our words and may it resonance in thy ears and deep down your bowels and that of your partner’s in government whose interest is the suffering of the people of the Niger Delta that we (The Niger Delta Avengers) are back and will not spare anything or anyone on our path to actualize a united and free Niger Delta.

“According to John F Kennedy; Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

– Nov 3, 2017 @ 15:34 GMT |