Niger Delta Millitants Kidnap 9 Expatriates!

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=73747

Normally i wouldn't have posted on this issue, so i don't get tagged as an 'agent of opression' by Irate ND people here, but this is dumb! I mean, 8 of the kidnapped guys were working on a major road project, the Niger Delta Warri-Portharcout Superhighway. this is supposed to link Delta, Cross River , Bayelsa and Rivers states, through Warri and Ughelli to Port-Harcourt!

I mean, why work to disrupt something beneficial to the area simply because of greed? Stupid people!

Thia is not how to fight for your people ,that road would benefit the Niger delta people a lot .

This is horrendous! I do not think that the people in the Niger Delta region are well - informed about the ways to get their problems resolved. Honestly, I feel the plight of the people in this region of the country.

If you have not visited the Niger Delta region [especially remote villages in Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta states], you would be saying that they are very stupid. I do not think that they are stupid.

The Government has obviously and clearly neglected the people in this area and left the area undeveloped. It becomes so annoying when you learn that over 80% of our economy depends on the extraction of the mineral resources from that area.

However, I think the 'Table' still remains the best way to resolve any kind of conflicts. So, I am appealing to the people of the Niger Delta to forgive Nigerian leaders for an inexcusable and deliberate neglect of their area, yet find better ways to get the govenment understand and repond to their plight.


Jojo

These kidnappers do not act on behalf of the "people" of Niger Delta, but for themselves, of course.

The tactics might be wrong but they are not all criminals. If these people did not stand up to fight, the plight of this region would never have become an international issue that it is now. I don't agree with all the tactics used, but the struggle was long overdue.
Most people visit the Niger Delta capitals without venturing to the villages to see the ecological impact this oil exploration has caused. Many of the villages don't have basic necessities and yet the youths see there natural resources being plundered by govts after govts. The tactics might be wrong but, Doing nothing is no longer an option for many of the youths.

in as much as i feel for this guys, i also believe that it has actually gone beyound doing something for niger-delta.now, its more about doin it for some pple's selfish wants.it is really sad cos so many foreign companies will b scared to carry out any contract in d region.

to me once, kidnapping is just to get ransom;i dont c anything differny btw d hostage takers and the govt!

how kidnapping those that build roads,i mean roads that pass through your towns and villages,how it helps to alleviate your suffering is what i just can't understand,would they prefer that the roads remain in poor condition ? is that what they want for their people ?

to me once, kidnapping is just to get ransom;i don't c anything differny between d hostage takers and the govt!

Its been clear for a long time that the activities of the so called "militants" has become a simple criminal enterprise.

This is nothing new.Many times,oil pipelines are deliberately punctured in order to extort money from the oil company

The tactics as i said before may be wrong, but very few people in the ND blames the so-called militants. Most people here are not from the ND so know very little of the poverty that is endemic in this region because of the ecological damage the flow of oil has caused. As long as Nigeria continues to be breast fed on the resources of this region (without adequate and comparable development) you will find some unscrupulous people masquerading as fighters for the ND cause. But majority of them just wants what belongs to them in the first place.

I have always supported the cause of the Niger Delta movement to get its due share of their inheritance.  This time though, I do not see what the kidnap of those actually working on the development will actually do, This move would only se the project back much longer than neccessary.

i saw the nd area in last two saturdays cnn inside africa,couldnt believe the amount of damage the oil companies has caused to the earth and river in the area.as a nigerian, i blows my mind that some people in my country are just like the refugees in dafour.while some companies and individuals are winning and dinning with millions of dollars in their account,the deltas are refugees in their own country.fair justice and peace to all,after all we are (one nigeria).

This is preposterous!! They say their place is undeveloped, the govt initiates action to close the gaps. They frustrate govt initiative, turn around
and continue to cry about how the govt has neglected them.
These guys are mechandising their situation.
Should i cry more than the bereaved?

Let this boys keep their cool and their numerous problems shall be handled one after the other.
They should refuse been used by criminals of themselves to hold the whole nation to ransom.
It is only in naija that things could be done this way.

@fntekim
No one is asking you to cry more than the bereaved, the bereaved in this case are the people who live in this God forsaken swamp. You said

They say their place is undeveloped, the govt initiates action to close the gaps. They frustrate govt initiative, turn around
and continue to cry about how the govt has neglected them.

Don't jump to conclusion because this article in question did not say who the perpetrators were. They were taken from a site at Agbarho, but the kidnappers could have come from Sapele, Ughelli, Oviri olomu etc or one of the many townsfolk who feel marginalized. I don't condone the tactics, but I understand the frustration. Indeed some of these militants have ulterior motives, but decades of govt neglect is what brought the militancy.

@Tornadoz :
True, but these increasing cases of kidnap is seriously getting out of hand.
We may end up completely desensitized to the situation of the niger delta.

I want to believe, that these set are not really the militants, maybe some opportunist.
Don't think the guys would want to ruin a good thing now that the area is receiving so much focus.

Definitely this is not the type of Nigeria we want; every single member of this organization should be heavily prosecuted.

fntekim:

@Tornadoz :
True, but these increasing cases of kidnap is seriously getting out of hand.
We may end up completely desensitized to the situation of the niger delta.

I want to believe, that these set are not really the militants, maybe some opportunist.
Don't think the guys would want to ruin a good thing now that the area is receiving so much focus.

personally I am desensitized.
Theirs is not the only neglected area of Nigeria.
The kidnapping is not helping their case
cry babies.

I Blame the Ignorant politicians in the Niger Delta who had used this Militants for the last fews years empowering them with money and weapons for their own political purposes and now it has gone out of hand.This people don't even have a reason kidnapping for ransoms, the money they get goes their pockets.
They Kill the police and their citizens just to kidnap one white man for money.They should faces people like Odili and Attah who have defrauded their states of up to a billion dollars not Innocent white men working for their sweat.
Charity starts from Home, Our leaders Like Odili and AttaH who where given so much money in the last 8 years should have shown their citizens that we are ready for change but instead have stolen so much money.

EPOMA:

Charity starts from Home, Our leaders Like Odili and AttaH who where given so much money in the last 8 years should have shown their citizens that we are ready for change but instead have stolen so much money.

Yeap. About N2.3trillion naira since they have been in government.

@Epoma,

I totally agree with your assertion that the militants if they are indeed fighting a just cause should face the Governors and some other elites who only pay lipservice to the ND cause.

We have been crying about neglect in the ND no doubt,but i often wonder if the Govs have properly utilised the 13% before blaming the Federal Govt. I would have thought by now that the Chiefs with their feathered hats would have called for a meeting expressing misgivings over the PTDF and also question how many Niger Deltans have benefited from the fund. How many of the projects i the fund were supposed to be situated in the ND .

For me i see the militants as monsters that can no longer be contained by those who created them. Ask Odili   Most of the ND Govs use the services of these boys for elections. The EU observers are saying that they will not come to Rivers,Bayelsa,and Delta states. Are u wondering why? They know whats up.

OBJ as well wanted to use the militants for tenure elongation but it appears those that want him to go have beaten him to the game. That is one of the reasons why they have been playing the ostrich with this issue.

If the Militants are serious from now on they should start asking the GOVS and Local Govt chairmen how the 13% has been spent from 1999-2006. If a proper account is given them you will see that the 13% was a slush fund for PDP. You will start hearing of the amounts they have been paying into the MOFAS account bla bla bla. That is why the Fed Govt is not pursuing them vigorously and that is also why the EFCC quickly confiscated the account details of Mofas and kept them in its custody. Calls to make them public have always met with a deafening silence. This is the true picture of the situation.

As an indigene of the Niger Delta i am of the opinion that the whole issue has been criminalised beyond belief.  The state and Federal Govt are not sincere about the whole issue.

Hi guys
I have come to conclude that some of you do not know sh*t about the Niger Delta other than the few stuffs you have read in the dailies. The guys kidnapping expatriates down here are all criminals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An average ND does not take part in such! I hope you guys remembered when every politician in the southwest claimed to be a champion of the Awolowo legacy just to win public sympathy and votes. It's the same pot of tea. These kidnappers are crude oil bunkerers who have come to realise that ransom is better money bunkering crude.

A lot of people are quick to abuse all Niger Deltans. I guess it's the same thing when foreigners see all nigerians as 419ers. It's the cross they have to carry until the system is cleansed.

The guys kidnapping expatriates down here are all criminals!

Exactly. I wonder why people like to politicise common crimes like murder and kidnapping.

A lot of people are quick to abuse all Niger Deltans. I guess it's the same thing when foreigners see all nigerians as 419ers. It's the cross they have to carry until the system is cleansed.

Exactly. I'd like to apologize on behalf of these well-meaning but mistaken people.

looks like someone received holy communion this morning

FKseun:

Hi guys
I have come to conclude that some of you do not know sh*t about the Niger Delta other than the few stuffs you have read in the dailies. The guys kidnapping expatriates down here are all criminals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An average ND does not take part in such! I hope you guys remembered when every politician in the southwest claimed to be a champion of the Awolowo legacy just to win public sympathy and votes. It's the same pot of tea. These kidnappers are crude oil bunkerers who have come to realise that ransom is better money bunkering crude.

A lot of people are quick to abuse all Niger Deltans. I guess it's the same thing when foreigners see all nigerians as 419ers. It's the cross they have to carry until the system is cleansed.

I do not want to repeat all of what others have said, but suffice it to say that most of these communities are the cause of their own undoing, how do you ask for money before you allow the construction of development facilities/infrastr uctures in your community. a friend was in odi for a year where the monthly budget was about 9million, two secondary schools with NDDC fully funding one of them, the other one had corp-members forming the majority of the teaching workforce, there was one primary school, also heavily supported by a (free labour) corper populace, .The local Governent had a handfull of workers, there were no ongoing projects, a diesel generating plant was supposed to supply light to the community every other day, 400k was the vote for generator fuel/month, , Through out his stay in that town the lights only blinked on festive occasions and during burial ceremonies organised by notable families in the community, , The average was about 3 days of light/ month.

While this may not be the case in most of the other communities it represents a a measure close to true average, .the communities do not realise that they can actually help themselves, .the councillors confluence every month to the town to "share the money", and show appreciation to their loyalist,

The few communities that can boast of constant light are those that have direct supply from an oil company, like Nembe, Brass, I know, I have been to both places. A lot of the local councils operate with ghost workers/loyalist that show up every month to collect their cut, who are we fooling?

The ruins of the partially completed (roofless) corper's lodge that was sponsored by Shell in the town of Okpoama in Brass LGA pays a glowing tribute to the commitment of the local contractors to the development of their community, , The contractor is actually a chief in the same town who throws open house parties every friday, who are we fooling?

MTN came to Odi to install their facilities and were asked to pay an obscene sum before they could start, another condition was that all contracts must be handled by individuals of Odi extract, .of course MTN moved on to the next town of Kaiama, they did launch in kaiama, but the romance was fleeting because the mast was pulled down, who are we fooling?

The biggest crime done by us all is to buy into the misguided suggestion that the oil companies bear the most blame for the Niger Deltans suffering. All the money pumped into the area is unaccounted for, Odili, Ibori and other South-South govs have stolen billions yet no one cares, MEND is demanding for Alams release even after the bastard stole N50 billion of their money. Yet they want us to take them seriously?

3.1 trillion Naira has been given to the governments of the ND states over the last 8 years, instead of kidnapping those ones, they attack people doing their jobs for the benefit of the area

Normally i wouldn't have posted on this issue, so i don't get tagged as an 'agent of opression'  by Irate ND people here, but this is dumb! I mean, 8 of the kidnapped guys were working on a major road project, the Niger Delta Warri-Portharcout Superhighway. this is supposed to link Delta, Cross River , Bayelsa and Rivers states, through Warri and Ughelli to Port-Harcourt!

I mean, why work to disrupt something beneficial to the area simply because of greed?  Stupid people!

Texazzpete. Before you condemn the people of the Niger Delta be advised however,  that it is not the people of the Niger Delta that are kidnapping these people but "disgruntled elements" of the Nigerian society that happen to be Niger-Deltans. Infact some of them actually include other "disgruntled elements" of the Nigerian society from the east or west, as the case may be, who partake in their plight. Having said that, no one condones the art of kidnapping as the perfect model for expressing ones grudges. If we attempt to be proactive in our thinking for once as a nation, we will find that the whole state of affairs can be traced back to the extreme lack of a reasonable system of governance, an apparent indecision as to where to go next in our development and a lack of basic education. I say a lack of basic educaion because if Nigerians were educated with regard to what the country possesses as natural resources, then all attention will not be placed on oil and if the people of the Niger-Delta say they want more development in the region, more jobs for their people and even any Nigerian as it were, then people will not necessarily feel that they are greedy because at that point they would know that there is more than enough to go round for everyone. Texazzpete please try and go to the forum which is discussing how George Bush rejected a visit from Nigeria's president elect and you would immediately see the predicament of the country there. It would become clear what those that recurrently ascend to positions of authority in that country are really interested in i.e. visiting George Bush even before they have been sworn in as president when there are issues that have plagued that nation since its independence; like constant electricity supply. This is the time that one would think any well meaning president elect will sit down and begin to draw up some memorandum that he will eventually intend to use to tackle very pressing outstanding issues that affect the nation's economy directly. Without electricity, no potential investor will ever be encouraged to invest or establish a centre of operation as it were in that country. Come to think of it, the whole purpose of running a business is to make profit and with the current state of affairs in Nigeria, profit from big businesses like manufacturing, design and production is in the mind of the beholder. Such investors may rather consider setting up things like warehouses in Nigeria; ofcourse so as not to take away the fact that most of the natural resources come from there but will cost more to set up a production facility and then look for nearby neighbouring West African countries to set up their production units. Now, the picture I have painted here is better imagined than experienced because not only will those countries be economically buoyant, Nigeria's economy may be heading for the crumbs with little or no employment and what is happening in the Niger-Delta now may soon affect other areas unless our "great" leaders own up to the realities and be honest about what needs to be done instead of on personality show to Whitehouse to see Bush even before they have been sworn in. We are at a crucial stage in our nations development and what is happening in the Niger-Delta is a reflection of this fact not stupidity.

sometimes they do some unnecessary things like this and also kidnapping foriegn workers. I think they forgot about the fact that this is a national natural resources regardless of wat anyone says. We already know that the nigerian government can be too greedy so that place not being all that is cuz of scenerios like that.

Ajayi123:

Texazzpete. Before you condemn the people of the Niger Delta be advised however, that it is not the people of the Niger Delta that are kidnapping these people but "disgruntled elements" of the Nigerian society that happen to be Niger-Deltans. Infact some of them actually include other "disgruntled elements" of the Nigerian society from the east or west, as the case may be, who partake in their plight. Having said that, no one condones the art of kidnapping as the perfect model for expressing ones grudges. If we attempt to be proactive in our thinking for once as a nation, we will find that the whole state of affairs can be traced back to the extreme lack of a reasonable system of governance, an apparent indecision as to where to go next in our development and a lack of basic education. I say a lack of basic educaion because if Nigerians were educated with regard to what the country possesses as natural resources, then all attention will not be placed on oil and if the people of the Niger-Delta say they want more development in the region, more jobs for their people and even any Nigerian as it were, then people will not necessarily feel that they are greedy because at that point they would know that there is more than enough to go round for everyone. Texazzpete please try and go to the forum which is discussing how George Bush rejected a visit from Nigeria's president elect and you would immediately see the predicament of the country there. It would become clear what those that recurrently ascend to positions of authority in that country are really interested in i.e. visiting George Bush even before they have been sworn in as president when there are issues that have plagued that nation since its independence; like constant electricity supply. This is the time that one would think any well meaning president elect will sit down and begin to draw up some memorandum that he will eventually intend to use to tackle very pressing outstanding issues that affect the nation's economy directly. Without electricity, no potential investor will ever be encouraged to invest or establish a centre of operation as it were in that country. Come to think of it, the whole purpose of running a business is to make profit and with the current state of affairs in Nigeria, profit from big businesses like manufacturing, design and production is in the mind of the beholder. Such investors may rather consider setting up things like warehouses in Nigeria; ofcourse so as not to take away the fact that most of the natural resources come from there but will cost more to set up a production facility and then look for nearby neighbouring West African countries to set up their production units. Now, the picture I have painted here is better imagined than experienced because not only will those countries be economically buoyant, Nigeria's economy may be heading for the crumbs with little or no employment and what is happening in the Niger-Delta now may soon affect other areas unless our "great" leaders own up to the realities and be honest about what needs to be done instead of on personality show to Whitehouse to see Bush even before they have been sworn in. We are at a crucial stage in our nations development and what is happening in the Niger-Delta is a reflection of this fact not stupidity.

normally i wont have answered u but it is clear dat u r spreading misinformation here. the so called disgruntled elements whatever u call dem appear to be speaking 4 us niger delta peple and are hell bent on taking us down with their greed. they talk about helping d people but they corrupt things with d way they act. what has kidnapping or making demands got to do woth actually helping out? all the ransome that they have been paid since 2003 where has it gone to? let us face d truth this militant business has become profitable and that is y it is persisting.

sijien, u just hit the power ball. Everyday they 'r talking about how the government is cheating them but these same people collect hostage money plus 13%allocation and yet complain so hard. I mean if we 'r going to be a one nation wat is this unnecessary thing about our land here and our land there. I bet you if experts begin to trace who is from where in Nigeria a lot of people will be finding themselves in some village in Liberia, Sierra leone, or a different state in Nigeria etc.
My point is dat all these crap need to stop. Wat about a scenerio if/when niger delta 's oil finishes? I guess they 'll be migrating back into the nigerian societies. This is so sometimes a no brainer; Naija really needs a president of national intrest regardless of state and region that will tell the militants in those areas the facts and not deals; Facts i mean are: This is a national natural resources, we will develop this place like we will develop any other state in the nation and yes this state will be attended to based on national intrest and not specifically the people of niger-delta intrest alone, anyone qualified will get a job and not just specific people of niger delta and maybe other national facts. Then letting the nation debate on the peace proposals.
And if they still want to fight, then i guess bigger bombardment need to be applied, like literally shutting every activity in the Niger-delta including oil and barricading the whole state and bringing back many of the soldiers from sudan or liberia or wherever to suppress the resistance like declaring a marshall law in that state until they come up with something that matches national intrest.
The problem is that all these greedy politcians today are so intrested in either this or that but also know what to do.

well let the niger deltans blow themselves up and clear road for the major tribers to take over the oil and move the refinery to the Igbo capital of Enugu.
We've already fought one war,now we will just apply common sense

tribalism at its best