THE Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, RNDA, in coalition with nine other militant groups, vowed yesterday to lead security agencies to the hideouts of alleged sponsors and leaders of rival Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, in the creeks of Niger-Delta, if the latter executes its threat to resume bombing of oil facilities in the region.
NDA had, last week, warned that it would restart hostilities in the region if President Muhammadu Buhari manipulates the presidential polls, but RNDA in coalition with nine other militant groups, threatened to undermine NDA.
Leader of RNDA, self-styled “Major General” John Mark Ezonebi, aka Obama, in a statement warned, “RNDA with the coalition of nine militant groups are ever ready to lead the security agencies to smoke them out from their hiding places in the creek.” “We are going to bring down any community or kingdom that any attack on oil facilities and bombing of pipelines take place in any part of the Niger Delta, we will expose them alongside their sponsors and co travelers in their ill-fated journey.
“It is sad and very obvious that the moribund NDA has derailed from the genuine agitation of the people of the region. It is now purely for selfish interest, as they are just using the name of Niger Delta struggle to enrich family members and their kingdom affairs at the detriment of the long neglected emancipated people of the region, the group said. It stated, “RNDA condemns in its entirety the purported sponsored proposed threat by the misguided moribund NDA to resume attacks on oil facilities and bombing of pipelines in the creek if President Muhammadu Buhari wins the upcoming presidential election.”
“We urge community leaders and the traditional institutions to advise them to desist from such steps because whatever will befall the communities as a result of the NDA threat will negatively affect innocent people and the kingdom will suffer huge loss,” the group said. It asserted,
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC- led Federal Government to ignore and disregard the purported threat made by the moribund NDA group under the leadership of a fugitive ex militant leader. The threat is a show of cowardice of a drowning fugitive ex-militant leader, who is struggling to catch the last straw by his usual method of drawing attention.”
The coalition of militants added, “It is now clear to the world, Nigerians and the people of the Niger Delta region that the NDA is being sponsored by some corrupt elements of the failed PDP, who looted the nation’s treasury.”
“RNDA wants to warn that enough is enough, the people of the region can no longer be fooled under the guise of Niger Delta development as the agitation in the creek goes beyond Ijaw tribal agenda alone, it is neither a one man show nor a family business venture affairs alone.
“We, however, wish to inform the long neglected people of the region that we cannot be fooled into another wasted years of misrule of our God- given natural resources again to be looted away in the hands of a corrupt political party like the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar ‘s programmed and calculated political antics called restructuring.
“It is high time we have to make it clear that the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar are the enemies to the long neglected emancipated people of the Niger Delta region, RNDA wants to ask who allocated the oil block license owned by INTELS in the creek of Niger Delta.
“It is also on record that it was under former President Obasanjo and Atiku- led PDP administration that most of our communities in the creek was razed and bombarded by the military, which destroyed Odi, Zakibiam and many others in Gbaramatu kingdom under the regime of former President Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan,” it said.
The militants said endorsed President Buhari because he acceded to their plea to remove the 13 per cent derivation from the hands of greedy Niger Delta governors because the funds are for the oil-producing communities, and not the governors in the first instance. According to it, “Within the last three and half years, we have seen practical development in the Niger Delta region than the wasted 16 years of the corrupt PDP administration.
RNDA wants to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for the approval and release of the Gas Flare Penalty funds meant for the affected oil-producing communities in the creek due to environmental pollution, release of funds to the contractors handling Ogoni clean up exercise and the smooth take off of the establishment of the Nigerian Martime University, Okerenkoko.”
“We also thank for the approval of dredging of the Warri- Escravos River to enable bigger vessels to berth at the Warri Port, which will boost the economic activities in the Niger Delta region and other numerous projects “We will continue to support Mr President to fight corruption because corruption has been the bane why the region has not been developed despite its huge economic importance to the country over the years, particularly during the PDP’s years of wasted misrule,” RNDA said.
