Niger Delta militants

The militant group in Niger Delta sabotaging Nigeria’s oil assets have purportedly made a 10-point demand on President Buhari’s government.

We share the 10 points:

1. The immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference report, failure of which Nigeria will forcefully break-up.

2. President Buhari, the Director-General of the State Secret Service and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, should apologise to the people of the Niger Delta region and family of the late Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha for killing him with intimidation and harassment because of his party affiliation.

3. The ownership of oil blocs in Nigeria must reflect 60% for the oil producing people and 40% for the non-oil producing people.

4. The only Nigerian Maritime University sited in the most appropriate and befitting place – Okerenkoko in Delta State, must start the 2015/2016 academic session immediately.

5. The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, should apologise to the Ijaws and the entire Niger Delta people for his careless and reckless statement about the citing of the University in Okerenko.

6. Ogoniland and all oil-polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up, while compensation should be paid to all oil-producing communities.

7. Radio Biafra director and Independent(sic) Indigenous Peoples of Biafra leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, should be released unconditionally.

8. The Niger Delta Amnesty programme must be well funded and allowed to continue to run effectively.

9.All APC members indicted for corruption should be made to face trial like their counterparts in the Peoples Democratic Party.

10.All oil multi-nationals and foreign investors should observe these demands, as their business interests in the country will be first targeted.

In a related development, another group of militants led by a ‘General Ben’ has given herdsmen two weeks, starting from 3 May to leave the South South and South East parts of the country.

The threatening group styles itself as Concerned Militant Leaders (CML), from the Niger Delta region.

General Ben in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said the rate of killings and kidnapping of the so-called ‘herdsmen’ would be unprecedented, after the ultimatum expires..

“The Fulani herdsmen have indirectly challenged us, asking us what we can do. But, we promise them that we will not allow them to go without taking revenge. It is an insult and we will give them back.”