•Urges Buhari to count cost of deploying soldiers •Meets Bayelsa gov on peace, security •CDS launches gunboats

Ijaw leader and former Information Minister, Chief Edwin Clark, has told the Federal Government that members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) are not afraid of the military personnel deployed in the oil-rich region.

He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to count the cost of the frequent deployment of military personnel to resolve issues in the region, adding that the use of force had never achieved the desired peace in the region.

Clark, who spoke against the backdrop of massive military activities in the Niger region, however, warned government officials and security forces to desist from “overzealous acts” that could create unnecessary anxiety and tension in the region.

He said the relative peace in the region was engendered by the concerted efforts of members of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and not necessarily the deployment of troops.
ADVERTISING

“One would have expected the Federal Government and the military to know that the NDA has never shown any sign of retreat or fear when, between February 2016 and August 2016, the area was over-militarised by the Operation Crocodile Smile.

“These are people who are ready to sacrifice their lives for what they believe in, which is remediation of the neglect of the region.

“It is the ordinary people, including women and children, that are the victims of this show of power by the military. For instance, school children will be too scared to go to school. The fishermen and the petty traders will either hide in their rooms or run away from their homes for safety.

“We are quite hopeful that the ceasefire will not be broken. Therefore, the actions by the military at the Bennett Island in Warri, Delta State, as reported in a newspaper last Thursday, is uncalled for.

“When the NDA gave its notice of withdrawing its ceasefire and resuming hostilities for obvious reasons, the leadership of PANDEF quickly intervened, appealing to them to maintain the status quo and went further to send emissaries of youths and former militants to the creeks to deliberate with the NDA.

“It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to use the military force to cow the people to submission. The wise thing for the Federal Government to do will be to sit down and dialogue with the people.

“What the Federal Government is doing right now is misapplication of resources. Can the Federal Government sit down and calculate how much it has cost it to deploy military to the Niger Delta area from 2002 to date?

“Can the Federal Government tell Nigerians what these figures are? And has military action brought peace?

“But for the intervention of well-meaning elders, let the Federal Government tell the Nigerian public what meaningful progress its actions have brought outside pain and humiliation,” he said.

The octogenarian called on the FG to be a good student of history, warning that no amount of military aggression would intimidate members of PANDE....

http://www.tribuneonlineng.com/avengers-not-afraid-military-clark-tells-fg/

Clueless government!!!

If the FG had used all the monies they used in purchasing new hardwares and deploying them with personnel...for genuinely working on specefic projects in the region...the people would have believed the government...But no, the FG believes intimidation can do it...

Black people have weird mentality...

Same thing Ipob and Nnamdi kanu said concerning the Nigerian military until the python danced them into oblivion. The Niger delta avengers are selfish saboteurs who doesn't represent the interest of the Niger delta people. The only language such groups understand is brute force and i commend the federal government for deployment of troops to the region. The only way to defeat those non entities is by militarization of the Niger delta. No individual or group can take on the federal government. They will be wiped out like IPOB and other enemies of the state. No reasonable country negotiates with terrorists and i commend president Buhari for using force instead of dialogue. Every Nigerian own the oil in the Niger delta. Enough is enough

To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.


Buhari thinks every problem must be solved by rolling out the tanks and cocking AK47s...

whateverkay:
[s] Same thing Ipob and Nnamdi kanu said concerning the Nigerian military until the python danced them into oblivion. The Niger delta avengers are selfish saboteurs who doesn't represent the interest of the Niger delta people. The only language such groups understand is brute force and i commend the federal government for deployment of troops to the region. The only way to defeat those non entities is by militarization of the Niger delta. No individual or group can take on the federal government. They will be wiped out like IPOB and other enemies of the state. No reasonable country negotiates with terrorists and i commend president Buhari for using force instead of dialogue. Every Nigerian own the oil in the Niger delta. Enough is enough [/s]

Typical afonja who thinks IPOB and Kanu is now into oblivion....lol. You will be shocked in the coming days...IPOB is more dangerous and effective working underground than Nnamdi Kanu seen live announcing his plans. Don't be fooled...IPOB is stronger than ever before. And...mind your business useless afonja thing!

whateverkay:
Same thing Ipob and Nnamdi kanu said concerning the Nigerian military until the python danced them into oblivion. The Niger delta avengers are selfish saboteurs who doesn't represent the interest of the Niger delta people. The only language such groups understand is brute force and i commend the federal government for deployment of troops to the region. The only way to defeat those non entities is by militarization of the Niger delta. No individual or group can take on the federal government. They will be wiped out like IPOB and other enemies of the state. No reasonable country negotiates with terrorists and i commend president Buhari for using force instead of dialogue. Every Nigerian own the oil in the Niger delta. Enough is enough

The. Same way. My state lagos is a no man's land.
TonyeBarcanista,nengibo these coward says niger delta oil belongs to everyone but the cows belongs to the northerners.
Even though I am a yoruba muslim,the oil biafra is for biafrans.

Help.

Drums of war all the time while their family members are hiding somewhere. How many top ranking officers in AVENGERS OR IPOB are their children? I pray to God to illuminate the minds of youths to come to understanding that this men are not worth fighting for.

We are not ipob that only protest, we protest with guns nd not with banners, if u doubt me cum to rivers state and see how iceland boys nd green landers,dey bam boy, and u we knw that they have better weapons than the zoo soldiers

The Niger Delta is not like sambisa forest, these guys know their way around, If the dullard thinks brutal force can solve the problem the he hasnt learnt his lessons and he is forgetting how Nigeria slipped into recession.


The guys in the creek are not smiling and even if you deploy all the soldiers in Nigeria to the Niger Delta, the pipelines will still go up in flame when the boys are ready


Haaaa Izon!

This is leadership......a word is enough for the wise.

Super story

Is like i will join my brothers in creek and deal with this government. Hope they have female among them.

Clerk should shut da fcuck up, bloody Militant.

We've heard that before.....

loveth360:
Is like i will join my brothers in creek and deal with this government.
Hope they have female among them.

Mr Buhari has nothing to do with them.

There is 2 country, the colony of Nigeria ( Biafra) and the protectorate of Nigeria


The ijaw and igbo people are all illegal immigrate


Good luck Jonathan is an illegal immigrate.. that is what good luck Jonathan selfishness did

this is the height of senseless senselessness, legal thieves fighting illegal, but no matter what call them they are the same,

loveth360:
Is like i will join my brothers in creek and deal with this government.
Hope they have female among them.

Na u dem go dey take they warm up every night.
Na Belle u go carry come back.
Militants pinkin go be d name!!

let dem kee the NA(naija ant)

fumiswtpusytwo:

The. Same way. My state lagos is a no man's land.
TonyeBarcanista,nengibo these coward says niger delta oil belongs to everyone but the cows belongs to the northerners.
Even though I am a yoruba muslim,the oil biafra is for biafrans.

and who told u dat Niger deltas are Biafra's?

old fooll. will instigate other peoples children to fight and keep your own hidden.

The other time they sent military there, it was even the millitants that helped rescue the drowned soldiers, isn't that funny?

Lol wonder why Clark needs to tell them this, they should try avengers again na, the damage won't be small this time.

buhari thinks intimidation and murders by the nigeria army is de only solution to every cry of de masses. Soldiers whose primary duty is to keep out external forces are now used against de people they are to protect. Buhari is exactly what my father described to me abt 1983.....smh

Sending military boys down is not the key to achieving peace, those guys there have been exploited,their farmlands,rivers and means of livelihood taken away, dialogue is just the way forward not brute force

I wish that Jubrin will understand that this path has never yielded good economic progress...

whateverkay:
Same thing Ipob and Nnamdi kanu said concerning the Nigerian military until the python danced them into oblivion. The Niger delta avengers are selfish saboteurs who doesn't represent the interest of the Niger delta people. The only language such groups understand is brute force and i commend the federal government for deployment of troops to the region. The only way to defeat those non entities is by militarization of the Niger delta. No individual or group can take on the federal government. They will be wiped out like IPOB and other enemies of the state. No reasonable country negotiates with terrorists and i commend president Buhari for using force instead of dialogue. Every Nigerian own the oil in the Niger delta. Enough is enough

Are you ok?

Ok

Let's see as it plays down