By Sunday Okobi
Niger Delta militants have threatened to disrupt further oil exploration and exportation from the region over the current scandal at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as well as the revelation by the World Bank President that President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Bretton-Woods institution to concentrate Nigeria’s intervention specifically in the North.
According to a statement issued at the weekend, the Niger Delta agitators under the aegis of Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders (NDRC) and 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta, vowed to use the last drop of their blood in resisting the planned islamization and conqueror approach by the Buhari administration.
The statement which was signed by W. O. I. Izon Ebi and made available to Yellowstone, also accused the Federal Government of engaging delay strategies and calculated frustration to put a damper on the implementation of the agreement reached with the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), through the recently-launched Operation Crocodile Smile II.
The statement noted that “The current revelation of the World Bank and the present NNPC scandal has given us no choice but to activate our digital strike team to swing into action to stop further exploration and exportation of oil from the Niger Delta.
“For it is very obvious that this present administration is for the North only, without putting into cognizance that 90 per cent of the resources that sustain this nation is from the Niger Delta.
“We want to warn that this deliberate provocation and intimidation by the northern oppressors to provoke the Niger Delta people would be counterproductive because we are going to resist them with the last drop of our blood and a devastating response.”
The coalition emphasized its determination “to start attack on all oil infrastructures,” saying, “We would not allow our resources to be used to fund only the north and intimidate us, rather than developing the Niger Delta deprived of its God-given resources since 1958.
“The antics of their divide and rule tactics would never work again in the Niger Delta in this 21st century because the world and all honest Nigerians have seen the antics and tactics of the federal governments’ insensitivity and insincerity after the adoption of the 16-point agenda of PANDEF on the 3rd of August 2017.
“It is still very fresh in our minds the betrayal of Isaac Boro to keep Nigerian one, the killing of Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni 9 and the dehumanization of their bodies with acid, the genocide in Odi, the genocide in Gbaramatu Kingdom.”
The militants continued: “We the NDRC and the 21st Century Youths and all affiliate organizations are determined to prove to the world that we are not cowards. The present military operation called Operation Crocodile Smile II that is currently going on in the Niger Delta would not deter us neither would we be intimidated because the current agitators have succeeded in taking the struggle from analogue to digital.”
It added: “We have successfully proven to our oppressors before the ceasefire that we have the capacity to stop the flow of our God-given resources as our clamour and fight is for equity and justice.
“We have also succeeded in educating our brothers that we do not have any problem with the military because the military are victims of the northern political elite’ conspiracy because of our God-given resources.”
The coalition, which had declared a ceasefire after the Federal Government met with PANDEF on August 3 in Abuja, asserted: “We, therefore, want to warn the federal government that the deliberate provocation of the Operation Crocodile smile 2 in the Niger Delta is a waste of time.”
According to the agitators, “We know our targets and no Niger Delta youth of this 21st century would be seen in the old fashion. We want to use this medium to advise our elders and leaders of the Niger Delta that our generation called the 21st century would not make the mistake our fathers made that have portrayed them as cowards as if the Fulani and Islamic jihadists have conquered the Niger Delta.
“We advise our brothers to be calm and steadfast and avoid any confrontation with the army because we the 21st century youths and other agitators have the ability to stop the flow of our oil in our backyards.
“Our grievances and agitations are genuine and nobody can or would be able to intimidate us with whatever military operations because we already know their aims and objectives. We want to warn that we are closely watching their actions and inactions and would respond at the appropriate time as we still believe in the eminent members of the PANDEF that persuaded us to ceasefire for sincere dialogue, for lasting peace for the rich, but impoverished people of the Niger Delta.
By Sunday Okobi
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