₦airaland Forum

WARRI- FORMER militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, Sunday, said he had no apology to offer to the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, a new militant group, which, last Tuesday, issued him a three-day ultimatum to act contrite for allegedly denunciation of the group and its violent activities. The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, apex Ijaw youth organization, in a statement by its spokesperson, Mr. Eric Omare, threw its weight behind Tompolo.

It maintained that the militant group should not force him to support their destructive mission, just as the Centre for the Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, and Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative, IPDI, condemned the resort to violence by Niger Delta Avengers. However, Itsekiri and Ijaw leaders, Chief Ayiri Emami and Johnny Michael, who spoke to our reporter on phone, fingered an ex-militant leader for the bombings, saying the militant group was acting his script.

Tompolo, who also spoke exclusively to Vanguard through his Media Adviser and Consultant, Mr. Paul Bebenimibo: “He (Tompolo) will not apologize to them (Niger Delta Avengers). “If not for his present issues with the Federal Government, he (Tompolo) would have gone after them and exposed them because they seem to make things difficult for him, as the government is pointing fingers at him, but he cannot do anything in his present situation,” Bebenimibo said.

He mentioned two prominent Itsekiri and Ijaw activists, both stalwarts of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Delta state, who he said, “are only looking for attention from the government, so they use the happenings to seek relevance from the government, they may be behind these guys.”

The militant group in a statement by its spokesperson, Col. Mudoch Agbinibo, May 3, took umbrage at Tompolo’s green light to servicing companies to go about their normal operations, particularly repair of the Forcados Terminal 48-inch pipeline.

It declared: “We hereby give you a three- day ultimatum to apologize to Niger Delta Avengers in the same national dailies as anything other than that will mean that we shall bring the war to your doorstep by blowing up all oil installations within your backyard (Gbaramatu Kingdom).”

The group alleged that the former General Officer Commanding, GOC, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, had “taken side with the Federal government to fight the Niger Delta people.” Two days after the ultimatum, the militant group on Thursday, May 5, bombed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC crude and gas lines and Well D25 in Abiteye, a key gas well operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL.

[size=18pt]Why we struck:[/size]

In a statement after the twin attacks, its spokesperson, Col Agbinibo asserted: “To keep to our promise, the three (3) days ultimatum given to Chief Government Ekpemupolo has elapsed and he fail to apologize to the Niger Delta Avengers, at 2200hours, Thursday, May 5, 2016, our strike team 4 hit the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) crude and gas lines.”

“The Crude line feeds the Warri and Kaduna refineries respectively, while the gas line feeds the Lagos and Abuja electricity power supply. With this development, the Warri and Kaduna refineries will be shut down and all cities that depend on the gas line for power will all be in total darkness like the creeks of the Niger Delta.

“In same vein, the Niger Delta Avengers strike team 7 at same time 2200hours, Thursday, May 5, 2016, blew up Well D25 in Abiteye. A major gas well belonging to Chevron and also blow up major pipe lines to effectively put the Abiteye, Alero, Dibi, Otunana and Makaraba flow stations that feed the Chevron tank farm out of operation. As at now, Chevron operation in the Niger Delta is zero,” he said.

The militant group boasted: “Located some 100meters away from the blasted Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline is a military houseboat stationed there to protect the oil pipelines. But, we want you public to know that despite the heavy present of military operatives our activities can’t be stop and it just waste of fund and time to let the Nigeria military protect oil installations.”

Tompolo did the right thing- IYC

IYC spokesperson, Mr. Eric Omare, however, told Vanguard: “The Ijaw Youth Council does not see the justification in the Niger Delta Avengers embarking on destruction of oil facilities because Tompolo denounced the group. I think Tompolo did the proper thing by coming out to inform the entire world that he was not part of the Niger Delta Avengers when there were insinuations to the effect that he was behind them.”

“As with other cases of attack on oil facilities, the Niger Delta environment and people are the ultimate victim and would suffer from these latest attacks. The IYC believe that irrespective of the grievances, there are better ways of expressing them rather than contributing to the further destruction of the already massively degraded Niger Delta environment. On the fresh directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to crush the militants, he asserted” While the IYC do not support the attacks on oil facilities, we hasten to add that it should not be used as a justification to attack innocent Niger Delta communities”.

He added: “The security agencies should go after the real culprits and not innocent communities and people in the Niger Delta region. From our experience, the security personnel in a bid to impress their superiors and justify the huge amount of money budgeted for the purpose always attack innocent communities and people.”

“This must not be allowed to happen this time around. We would also advise the federal government to be prompt in directing security agencies to deal with insurgent groups all over the country, including the Fulani herdsmen, who have been killing innocent Nigerians just like they have just directed in respect of the Niger Delta Avengers,” Omare added.

You’re causing more harm than good – CEPEJ

National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, in a statement, condemning the bombings by Niger Delta Avengers, said: “The deadly attacks have cut oil and gas production and caused attendant devastation of the environment.”

It asked the militants to “lay down their arms as their activities were antithetical to the genuine agitation of the people and the overall development of the oil rich region.” The nongovernmental organization described those involved in the bombings as “unpatriotic elements from the region” and urged security operatives “to fish out and prosecute them to serve as deterrent to others.”

CEPEJ stated: “The era of using arms struggle to demand for a fair deal for the region was over; dialogue and reaching out to other people across the political divides are the only viable means to resolve all conflicts. Bombings will not do the region any good rather it will only bring adverse effects to it.”

The group reminded the militants of the 2009 military confrontation, which led to the destruction of some Ijaw communities, noting, “up till now, some of the villages are yet to be rebuilt and adequate compensation paid to the victims.” It, therefore, advised them to have a rethink, “as Ijaw people do not want to suffer the same fate again.” The Center expressed explicit confidence in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to meet the yearnings of the Niger Delta people and pointed to the implementation of UNEP REPORT on Ogoni Land, and expressed the belief that the government would extend the remediation plan to other parts of the region.

It called on the people of the region to throw their weights behind his government as he is poised to develop the region and give the people a sense of belonging. Stop bombing oil installations- IPDI Speaking through its national president, Comrade Austin Ozobo, the IPDI, yesterday, warned the Niger Delta Avengers to avoid oil installations to avoid further jeopardy to the nation’s economy.

Faulting the recent attacks on major oil pipelines in the country, he warned: “Those threatening former agitator, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo and the nation’s economy should desist from it and that in no account for oil facilities be bombed.”

He advised those complaining of marginalization of Niger Delta, particularly the Niger Delta and lay down their arms. His words: “Threatening Tompolo and bombing oil facilities and Tompolo is not a good step to begin a struggle in Niger Delta region and that NDA should cease further vandalization of oil installations in the region.”

Popular Ijaw group, the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative,IPDI, has condemned attack on Chevron and NNPC oil pipelines at Abiteye and Makaraba in Delta State by Niger Delta Avengers NDA, warning that they should steer clear oil facilities in the nation as to avoid further jeopardy in the nation’s economy. N-Delta Avengers is non-existent – Ayiri Itsekiri leader and activist, Chief Ayiri Emami, however, took a different position.

While he condemned the attacks by the so-called Niger-Delta Avengers, which he said does not exist, he said: “The attacks are just to create a platform for negotiation with President Muhammadu Buhari.” He asserted, “I know that Mr. President is intelligent enough not to fall for just gimmick. Some of us volunteered to cooperate with the security agencies free of charge to fish out the perpetrators of these bombings, but the Delta state government did not see reason with us. They held a state security meeting asking why security agencies are working with us.” “I want to say that it is the duty of the state government to fish out the perpetrators, people cannot be here in Delta state and say that they do not know those responsible. They know the person directing his boys to do and should bring them out.

“They should not be saying that it is the All Progressives Congress, APC, people in the state that is causing it, it has nothing to do with APC,” he added.

Stop jeopardizing Gbaramatu indigenes -

Michael Ijaw leader, Chief Michael Johnny, who spoke in a similar vein, asserted: “There is nothing strange or new in what is happening. It is what we are already used to, but my worry is that these people should stop endangering the life of Gbaramatu people.”

“The people causing this havoc are known, the security agencies should not compromise, they should have good intelligence information to identify them and bring them to book. I also want to say that they should stop calling the name of APC in this matter, APC is a progressive party, anybody who wants to join the party should do so, but they should stop blackmailing us,” he said.

He said that many Gbaramatu leaders know those carrying out the bombings, but because of fear, they would not be able to speak out and urged the security agencies to do their work. Also reacting to the attacks, the Foundation for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade, FHRACC, said: “The ongoing oil war being perpetrated by some groups in the creeks of Niger Delta is not the best option for the region.”

The National President, Alaowei Cleric, said in a statement” “We have passed the stage of destroying oil facilities to press home our demands especially now that the main actors of the emancipation struggle have accepted Presidential Amnesty. If anyone is not satisfied with the activities of the present government, he should register his grouse within the ambit of the law.”

“Destroying pipelines to draw government’s attention is not only cruel and barbaric, but it also lack intellectual reasoning. For such dastardly act to be carried out contemporaneously with the Amnesty Programme, it means the actors of these illegal acts did not know what is good for the region,” he asserted.

According to him: “We are not unaware that those appointed to manage the Amnesty Programme have hijacked the programme, we still cannot find any reason for someone to indulge in such nefarious acts, using the unchecked corruption that has embroiled the programme as a bait to ferment mayhem on the nation economy.”

“Those who have issues to contend with in the management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme should do so in accordance with the dictate of the law,” the group added.

On President Buhari government’s inimical administrative policies against the Niger Delta region, he said: “We appeal to all aggrieved youth in the region to explore lawful means to prosecute their agenda. We know that the present government’s decision to scrap the Maritime University at Okerenkoko in Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State is provocative but we should tackle the government through intellectual militancy and not these crude methods.”

“President Buhari should also have a rethink of his government’s decision to cancel the Maritime University at Okerenkoko in Gbaramatu Kingdom. That is a clear invitation to anarchy. What is happening in the region is a reflection of the embittered minds of the people whose region produced the bulk of wealth to the nation, but being treated below the belt by the government of the day.

“As for those who are appointing accusing fingers at their perceived enemies, they should desist from such act. For the sake of our peaceful coexistence in the region, it is not the best to shift blame to the wrong persons, while the culprits are freely roaming around to continue their destructions. It will not do us any good if Niger Deltans engage each other in a fiasco instead of forming a common front to tackle our enemies,” Cleric said.

fulanimafia:
Tompolo can only fool himself.

sagtav:
a full pic i uploaded on my profile is showing only my face. any idea on how to upload a full pix, pleeeaase.

kcnwaigbo:
Sharaaap jare!! Tompolo is a very very patriotic citizen who should be engaged by the FG to beg the militants to stop the bombings

don4real18:
Begging the militants is a wrong approach...the president shouldn't negotiate with terrorists.
He should rather bomb them all

SleekAboki:
Tompolo through the amnesty program is today a legit internationally known security consultant. It's not in his overall best interest to be associated with the Avengers who are currently making their bones just as tompolo prior the amnesty deal.

I see some interests desperately trying to rope Tompolo into this mess to negate all the legit international success tompolo made under the last regime.

One strategic mistake buhari advisors did was brazenly going after tompolo and creating a huge power vacuum which the avengers are milking perfectly.

If there be any diplomacy in buhari, he should as a matter of urgency make contact with government Tompolo cos that gentleman is key in solving this delta issue.