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Don’t dare me, Buhari tells Niger Delta militants

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President Muhammadu Buhari, has sent a strong message to Niger Delta militants, warning them not to confront his government but work with him to review the Amnesty Programme initiated by the Late ex-President Umaru Yar’Adua Administration.
The President, who stated this on Friday when he had a meeting with the Global Director (Upstream) of the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Andrew Brown, assured oil companies operating in the region that the Federal Government is taking all necessary actions to protect strategic assets in the area from vandals and criminals.
According to President Buhari, the Chief of Naval Staff had been directed to reorganise and strengthen the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta to deal effectively with the resurgence of militancy and the sabotage of oil installations.
The President also informed Mr. Brown that the operations of the JTF were also being enhanced with increased support and cooperation from the United States and Europe in the areas of training, intelligence, equipment and logistics.
The President said: “We have to be very serious with the situation in the Niger Delta because it threatens the national economy. I assure you that everything possible will be done to protect personnel and oil assets in the region.”
President Buhari also commended the resilience and staying power of Shell in Nigeria despite the operational challenges of the environment, urging the company to end gas flaring in the Niger Delta quickly and produce more gas for electricity generation to support manufacturing and job creation in the country.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Brown appealed for an urgent solution to rising crime and militancy in the Niger Delta while also dispelling speculations that the company was pulling out of Nigeria.
According to him, Shell was currently in discussions with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on new joint oil and gas projects.
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