From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha

THE Egbesu Mightier Fraternity, also known as Egbesu Boys, yesterday, gave the Federal Govern­ment two weeks to uncon­ditionally release leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd).

The group also directed the federal government to ask the military to leave Gbaramatu, in Delta State, within the same period or else, they will shut down every oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta region.

A statement signed by the Egbesu spokesman, Captain Agbaka Doctor and made available to Daily Sun claimed Gov­ernment Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, was not responsible for the bombing of oil and gas pipelines in the region. He said Niger Delta Aveng­ers (NDA) was part of the struggle.

Egbesu boys also de­manded immediate pay­ment of compensation to victims of Bonga Oil Spill and Chevron gas explo­sion in Koluama in Bayelsa State.

“The Federal Govern­ment approached Chief Tompolo for his land to be used as Maritime Univer­sity and he passionately sold his land to the govern­ment based on agreement. What is wrong for some­one to sell what belongs to him? Is it a crime in Nige­ria now?

“It is also extremely important to note that national interest is the executive’s obedience to court orders and protec­tion and preservation of the citizens’ constitutional liberties. Justification of the executive’s disobedi­ence to court orders, as a protection of national in­terest, is abominable.

“It is also a deliberate ploy to bend the law and suspension of the 1999 Constitution. The Federal Government’s disobedi­ence to court decisions is one of the dimensions of corruption and seen as gross abuse of office, con­trary to section 15 (5) of the 1999 constitution.

“Disobedience to court orders is an act of execu­tive rascality in the coun­try. Nnandi Kanu has been in detention since Octo­ber 14, 2015 when he was arrested by operatives of the DSS while Dasuki, too, is facing multiple charges before three different courts and was re-arrest­ed recently at the gate of Kuje Prisons, Abuja short­ly after he had perfected all his bail conditions.

“The continued deten­tion and incarceration of the two accused persons is humanly unjustifiable in the 1999 Constitution and, therefore, the rule of law must be respected.

“With oil prices slip­ping, we will help to re­duce its price of barrel to $5.

“Silence in the region is a legacy of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and should not be thrown away on the altar of vindictiveness. Government should tread with caution and wisdom by ensuring that any­thing capable of provok­ing anger in the region be avoided or every region will maintain their respec­tive resources because the money belongs to the peo­ple of the region and not government.

“We are giving the Bu­hari administration the next two weeks to rescind its decision or, otherwise, Nigeria will be history as predicted by the United States of America (USA).

“The country will be grounded and let us see how the economy will run,” Captain Agbaka warned in the statement.