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Bombers target Abia, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Rivers bridges’ •Tompolo blows hot, warns military on seized ‘Oporoza gold sword’


MILITANTS in the Niger Delta are falling apart over negotiations with the Federal Government, which bowed to stakeholders’ demand for dialogue and announced a two-week ceasefire to create a window for engagement, on Monday.

The militants were at loggerheads also over the former ‘General Officer Commanding’, GOC, of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, who had denied involvement in the bombings in the oil-rich region, but his name keeps springing up. This happened on a day Tompolo appealed  to the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), which has claimed responsibility for the bombings, to put a halt to its activities,  saying, “You have not only succeeded in militarizing the Niger Delta region now, but  you have  also succeeded in giving birth to so many negotiators and political jobbers within the government circle, who are very serious rumour peddlers in the country now.”

Oduku raises the alarm Meanwhile, the Commandant General of the Riverine Security (Coast Guard of the Federation), Commander Bibi Oduku, whose organization is collaborating with security agencies to track down criminals on the waterways, yesterday, said: “We received information that NDA’s  next targets are Choba Bridge, Rivers State, Kaiama Bridge, Patani, Imo River Bridge between Rivers and Abia; and  the bridge linking Rivers and Akwa-Ibom in Ogoni axis. “The militant group also plans to bomb the Nigeria Port Authority, NPA, Warri; NPA, Port Harcourt; NPA Onne; NPA Calabar;  MTN; Airtel; Glo and Etisalat facilities in the Niger Delta region with other major oil and gas facilities. Security agencies must take fast action to forestall the attacks.” Crack The NDA has said  it is opposed to negotiations with government and declared, last Wednesday:

“This is  to  inform the general public that we are not negotiating with any committee. If the Federal Government is discussing with any group, they are doing that on their own.”

But  the Joint Revolutionary Council, JRC, of the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Front, JNDLF, the presumed umbrella group of militants in the region, countered the Avengers, at the weekend, saying militants would negotiate with government. The JRC ‘General Duties’,  Akotebe Darikoro, in a statement, with three others, suggested that the cluster was already discussing with government. The group  went on: “We shall continue to engage in dialogue with the Federal Government if our demands are met. “Our representatives in the dialogue, especially the governors and others, will not betray our demands with the Federal Government. Any betrayal on their own part shall be viewed as betrayal of the entire region and we shall go after them immediately as they know our mode of operation in which they will not escape from us.”

Also reacting to a plea by MEND that it should give President Muhammadu Buhari a breather, the NDA, in a  statement by its spokesperson, ‘Brig General’ Mudoch Agbinobi, said MEND was a band of criminal elements and political sidekicks of one of the South-South governors and an ex-governor from the region.

It said: “The NDA is unperturbed, we have  a  mandate that is clearly a departure  from those old tactics of the defunct so-called MEND that indulged in kidnapping, hostage taking, sea piracy, illegal oil bunkering, bank robberies and social crimes.”  Twists and turns NDA  has  been manifestly antagonistic to Tompolo since the former militant leader  took newspaper space, early  last month, to condemn its violent activities. It issued him a three-day ultimatum on May 3 to retract his criticism, which it saw as “taking sides with the Federal Government to fight the Niger Delta people.” Its words: “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 doorsteps by blowing up all oil installations within your backyard (Gbaramatu Kingdom)”.

Tompolo did not comply with the demand and NDA attacked oil facilities in Gbaramatu Kingdom and other parts of Warri South-West local government area, leading to the invasion of Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of Ijaw Kingdom. The militant group mocked Tompolo for the invasion of Oporoza; Kurutie, his father’s  town and other Ijaw communities, saying the government he teamed up with again swooped on his people and molested them.



Tompolo talks tough over Oporoza seized gold sword

Militants In a related development, more trouble appeared to be looming in the Niger Delta if a gold sword reportedly seized from the palace of  Oporoza by the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian Army is not returned with immediate effect. Sunday Vanguard gathered from security sources in Abuja familiar with the Oporoza operation that  Tompolo is furious over the seizure of the golden sword by soldiers. The soldiers reportedly swopped on Oporoza last week and made away with some traditional paraphernalia, including the golden sword regarded as the  symbol of authority of the Oporoza deity, and the motorised boat usually used by the Oporoza Council of Chiefs.

Sunday Vanguard learnt from authoritative military sources that Tompolo demanded that the sword must be returned as the first step for him to listen to anyone who wants to meet him for any discussion about the boiling Niger Delta.

“It is true we have met with Tompolo in the last few weeks but he is very angry that the military desecrated the palace of Oporoza and made away with items related to their god,” one of the sources said.

The security official, who has been part of the Federal Government team to end the rage of the NDA over oil installations in the region, expressed the willingness of the team to wade into the rift and recover the seized traditional items and calm frayed nerves. As a fence-mending measure, Sunday Vanguard learnt that the JTF might return the golden sword and the traditional rulers boat any moment from now. Although the source did not say where they met with Tompolo, he pointed out that the former MEND leader was not afraid of appearing before the courts to face trial over alleged corruption but was worried about what he called ‘undue harassment’ by security agents. “As things are, Tompolo is concerned about his security and not going to court to defend his name.

That is just the sticking point. If there is an assurance by the EFCC and other security agencies that his safety is guaranteed, he will come out to defend himself against all the charges levelled against him,” the security official said. ....


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Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/06/militants-split-fg-avengers-negotiations/

“We received information that NDA’s  next targets are Choba Bridge, Rivers State, Kaiama Bridge, Patani, Imo River Bridge between Rivers and Abia; and  the bridge linking Rivers and Akwa-Ibom in Ogoni axis. “The militant group also plans to bomb the Nigeria Port Authority, NPA, Warri; NPA, Port Harcourt; NPA Onne; NPA Calabar;  MTN; Airtel; Glo and Etisalat facilities in the Niger Delta region with other major oil and gas facilities.

modath:


.....

Firefire:


Only you occupy on your thread, 1, 2, 3 slots that is corruption, Buhary must probe this.

modath:


Serious kwarapshun.

I had to complete the story in 2 parts, too long for one box & add my contribution in the 3rd....

Been watching you these days, are you no longer in support of your PDP friends? It is disloyal of you not to support NDA's carnage & destruction...... They are fighting Bubu, una mortal archenemy, get with the programme..

listen to my songs at http://my.notjustok.com/p/oracle/

Firefire:


Yes, I support some of the reasonable demands of the NDA which includes:

- the full implementation of the Confab report,
- practice of true federalism
- resource control, and
- restoration of the Nigerian Maritime University in Gbaramatu cancelled by Rotimi Amaechi.

Unfortunately, NDA attacks on the state resources and now threat of attacking public facilities is weird and an act of terrorism. I therefore do not support that.

Dear NDA,

if you make any attempt in attacking any public facility in the ND area be rest assure that you lose completely whatever sympathy from others relating to PMB careless statement we hinged on.
I wish you good luck on your adventures.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that the JTF might return the golden sword and the traditional rulers boat any moment from now.

fiizznation:
The Nigeria government DON'T and WILL never negotiate with terrorists. All these silly propagandas won't help the so called avengers in the long/short run. Security agencies are already putting all their strategies in place. And I still don't know why some people are seeing these ragtag militants as some kind of invincible or highly intelligent beings. The militants understood the Niger/delta terrain very well, so what they normally do is that they move out in the night to place a grenade on a helpless pipeline, then after doing this, they then simply detonate the IED. If one study their modus operandi very well, you will see that they don't carryout any attack in daytime nor have they ever blew up any underwater pipeline. So the issue of whether the militants have already planted so many IEDs on the pipelines a long time ago shouldn't even arise.


Anyway is still No negotiations No dialogue

Firefire:


Only you occupy on your thread, 1, 2, 3 slots that is corruption, Buhary must probe this.

menstrualpad:

While I may sympathize with you and even pity you I think the FG will do well to restructure the country or else we're all still playing

fiizznation:
Tell your senators to push for such bill. I hear people screaming restructure restructure restructure everyday, and I usually ask myself, what is there to restructure in Nigeria. And you know what my answer is every time; well is absolutely nothing. Nobody is gonna restructure anything because some people lost an election. If we want to talk about restructuring Nigeria, then it most be a genuine one and not all these selfish calls for true federalism or whatever rubbish you people call it.

fiizznation:
The Nigeria government DON'T and WILL never negotiate with terrorists. All these silly propagandas won't help the so called avengers in the long/short run. Security agencies are already putting all their strategies in place. And I still don't know why some people are seeing these ragtag militants as some kind of invincible or highly intelligent beings. The militants understood the Niger/delta terrain very well, so what they normally do is that they move out in the night to place a grenade on a helpless pipeline, then after doing this, they then simply detonate the IED. If one study their modus operandi very well, you will see that they don't carryout any attack in daytime nor have they ever blew up any underwater pipeline. So the issue of whether the militants have already planted so many IEDs on the pipelines a long time ago shouldn't even arise.


Anyway is still No negotiations No dialogue

menstrualpad:

Then mark my words clearly Nigeria will NEVER know peace and development.

SleekAboki:

The country must be re-negotiated for ultimate peace and development to follow.

SleekAboki:

You again? after chanting Buhari into battle with the Avengers to which the consequences are self evident in our economy,you still have the guts to chant buhari into a second battle that might culminate in armageddon?

Buhari must meet their pre-conditions and fly them into the presidential round table at Aso Rock so peace can reign. Negotiation is key now!