• NDA denies holding talks with govt

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

THE Militant group, Joint Niger Delta Libera­tion Force (JNDLF) has threatened to blow up six flow stations in Bayelsa state over the refusal of the President Mohammadu Buhari to address the issues of development affecting the Niger Delta region. This comes with a revela­tion from Niger Delta Avenger )NDA) that they have not entered into negotiations with the Federal Government. They said the govern­ment is negotiating with a ‘fake group’.

The militant group led by Generals Akotebe Darikoro (commander, general duties), Torunanaowei Latei (creeks network coordina­tor), Agbakakuro Owei-tauro (pipelines bleed­ing expert) and Pulokiri Ebiladei (intelligence bureau) which had earlier claimed it shelved its plans to fire missiles at national buildings in Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna due to appeal from the Federal Government and the International Community, in a statement issued after its meeting in Yenagoa said the Buhari adminis­tration has not taken any step to demonstrate its sincerity to tackle the Niger Delta problems.

The group commended Minister of State for Petroluem, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu for “the bold steps he personally took to resolve the injustice created and sponsored by the wicked companies and government in Nigeria.”

It however regretted that the “initiative he took has been relegated to the background by the self acclaimed Minister of Petroleum Resources, Muhammadu Buhari who has no knowledge about the suffering of the people in the Niger Delta region.

The group also told Governor Seriake Dick­son of Bayelsa State to pay civil servants in the state or face their wrath.

According to the group if Dickson cannot pay workers salaries from what has accrued to the state he should resign to avoid bloodshed.

Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the militant group responsible for attacks on oil installations in the country, on Wednesday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has been “negotiating with fraudsters”.

Insisting that it has not entered into any agreement with the federal government, the group also distanced itself from recent violent incidents in the south-west.

NDA also said that contrary to the claim of Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, made in an interview, the group has not killed “a single policeman” all through its operation.

“We the Niger Delta Avengers have not ne­gotiated with anyone… If (FG) they have been negotiating with anybody it clearly shows they had been negotiating with fraudsters and their created militant group,” Mudoch Agbinibo, spokesman of the group, said in a statement.

‘Out of the blue, a group calling itself the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA spouts. They kill soldiers and policemen. They kidnap and kill oil company workers. Piracy on the high seas,” Garba Shehu said in an interview.

“They asked oil companies to stop operations and pack out of the Niger Delta region. They attack and kill prominent individuals, ransack­ing homes up and down the coastal areas, including lately, Lagos and Ogun states. All these for what?’”

But responding, the group said: “We don’t know where Mr Garba shehu and General Babagana Munguno, the National Security Adviser are getting their information from.

“We want Garba Shehu to go and get his record straight. Niger Delta Avengers have not killed and kidnapped oil workers, we are not into sea piracy, and we have never killed policemen.