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Opposing Niger Delta militant groups clash

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New militant group to FG: Give us Niger Delta State, or else...,

The division among the different Niger Delta militant groups has continued to widen and there is speculations that it may soon dovetail into a full blown war.

This time, not with Federal Government but with opposing militant groups in the oil region.

This is even as retired soldiers who are indigenes of the region are reportedly gathering forces to battle one of the deadliest militant groups since the resurgence of militancy in Niger Delta, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

According to reports, the retired army officers have been holding meetings to strategise and perfect plans on how to fight the Avengers and ensure they bring to a stop attacks on oil installations.

A militant group, Voice of Delta, has also indicated interest to fight the Niger Delta avengers. The groups are sad over the persistent bombings going on in the region and are ready to partner with the Federal Government to stop
the Avengers.

Recently claiming that an ex-militant leader was behind the Avengers, Voice of Delta tweeted: “Intelligence available to us indicates that over 90 per cent of the ex-agitators in the region are ready to partner with the Federal Government in flushing out the NDA.

“We are willing and ready to assist the government in achieving a sustainable peace in the region and we also advise the government to be wary of political jobbers who would want to exploit the problem posed by the criminal gang, NDA.”

The group said the recent claim by NDA of blowing up an ExxonMobil crude export pipeline in Akwa-Ibom which was denied by the company only states the obvious that “the criminal gang is resorting to making wild claims in order to cajole and blackmail the government into entering into dialogue with it.

“No individual or any criminal gang should be allowed to hold the state to ransom. No responsible government should let that happen. We, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari not to be hoodwinked by the antics of some sympathizers of the ex-militant leader into an unholy negotiation,” Voice of Delta said.

This is coming as the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) is asking the Avengers to join its Aaron
Team 2 for peace talks with government. The group had last Saturday, given government a two-week ultimatum, within which it must declare its stand on the planned dialogue.

MEND spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo said, “After receiving firm assurances from the highest level of government about its readiness to dialogue with the Aaron Team, MEND has decided to expand the representational capacity of the Aaron Team to accommodate the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

Read also: Militants divided, disagree over Dasuki, Kanu

The condition MEND gave for which the Avengers will be part of the negotiation with government include, publicly renouncing all forms of hostility against Nigeria’s oil and gas industry by an unconditional ceasefire, declare allegiance to Muhammadu Buhari as president of Nigeria and nominate one of its members as its representative.

In another twist, Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, NDRC, is blasting MEND for conferring on itself the authority to negotiate on behalf of militant groups in the region.

The group said, “We want to ask, which MEND is speaking for the people of Niger Delta, is it the one that accepted amnesty or the one with a divided house that its leader, Henry Okah and brother, Charles Okah, in jail or the one John Togo was part and parcel of?

“Nobody is taking them serious because their time is long gone as the Niger Deltans are wiser now. We are proudly in support of the Niger Delta Avengers and in solidarity, and we will continue to wage the war against injustice.”

By Ebere Ndukwu …

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