Trouble brews as the supposed disintegrated group of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) now known as Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) attempts to rubbish the ideology of the group when it made public some names numbering about 22, which it claimed were the supporters of the militant group.
When contacted, an anonymous source, who is also an Ijaw
leader decried that: “It is unfortunate that they have penetrated our boys with
money and they are now using them to fight themselves. This is bad for the
struggle.”
However, the self-acclaimed Brig. General Mudoch Agbinibo,
who is spokesman of NDA debunked any rumour that the group has been fragmented,
and went further to accuse a senior government official, ex-governor and former
militant leaders in the region under the auspices of the Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, to announce the purported split.
“It is quite unfortunate that Cynthia Whyte and Jomo Gbomo
of defunct Joint Revolutionary Council and MEND respectively are the
spokesperson of the Nigerian intelligentsia community because of some political
interest and a government that have abdicated powers to clansmen and tribal
lords.
”The fact checks about Cynthia Whyte and his sponsors should
be laid bare before the public now that the Nigerian security and intelligent
community has turned the Niger Delta genuine struggle to a tool of political
patronage and money making machine for miscreants and conflict merchants,” NDA
said.
Also, the National president of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Mr.
Udengs Eradiri, reacted by debunking the accusation made against him by the alleged
splinter group of the NDA, who said he was among the sponsors of their activities,
saying that: “I have no business whatsoever with the Niger Delta Avengers. I am
the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), the largest youth organization
in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and not Spokesman of the Niger Delta
Avengers.”
According to him ”My attention has been drawn to a statement
purportedly issued by a splinter group of the Niger Delta Avengers in which
several Niger Deltans were mentioned as sponsors and operatives of the Niger
Delta Avengers, including my humble self as the spokesman of the Niger Delta
Avengers, who go by the name Brig. Gen. Mudoch Aginibo.
“Since the splinter group of the Niger Delta Avengers said
they have broken away and repented from their old ways, I call on them to come
out in open and identify themselves openly, instead of still using pseudo names
such as Cynthia Whyte to issue statements.
“Any discerning mind would know that the said statement
purportedly naming sponsors of Avengers was issued by the promoters of the
Aaron 2 MEND negotiation with the federal government. Their grouse against me
is because I said in my recent interviews that MEND Aaron 11 team does not have
the mandate of the Ijaw and other Niger Delta people to negotiate with the
federal government. They are desperate because of the lack of credibility in
what they are doing,” he said.
Eradiri buttressed: “I wish to state that no amount of
desperation and blackmail would stop me from stating the position of the Ijaw
people as far issues affecting the Niger Delta region are concerned. I was
elected to promote and protect the interest of the Ijaw and Niger Delta people
and not the selfish and personal interest of a few.”
“I also want to put on record the consistent threat to my
life by the promoters of the Aaron 2 MEND negotiation with the federal
government. They have been consistently saying that they would deal with me.
He further added that “The security agencies, especially the
office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Director General of the
Department of State Services (DSS) already know them since they claimed to be
negotiating with the government and should take note and appropriate actions on
this threat.”
In the meantime, spokesman of IYC, Mr. Eric Omare, in a
statement, Sunday, called on security agents to stop the indiscriminate arrest
of Ijaw and Niger Delta youths under the guise of fighting renewed militancy in
the Niger Delta region.
“In recent times, there have been indiscriminate arrests of
Ijaw and other Niger Delta youths by security agents without charging any of
them to court. So far, security agents have arrested Ijaw youths such as Mr.
Simeon Bebenimino, Bomboy Oluba, Aboy Muturu, the Oporoza 10 and several
others. The latest of the victims of this indiscriminate arrest is Comrade
Daniel Ezekiel, an Ijaw youth from Egebma Clan in Warri North Local Government
Area of Delta.
“Daniel Ezekiel, who is the spokesperson of a Niger Delta-
based civil society organization, the Ijaw Peoples’ Development Initiative
(IPDI) was arrested/abducted on Thursday, August 4, 2016 while on his way from
Sapele to Warri in Delta State.
“Up to the time of issuing this statement, the whereabouts
of Mr. Daniel Ezekiel are unknown. In the days leading to the arrest/abduction
of Mr. Ezekiel, he complained of threats to his life by some persons, who
claimed to be working for the federal government and security agencies in the
Niger Delta.”
His statement reads further that: “Daniel Ezekiel is a
passionate believer in the Niger Delta cause and like several young Nigerians
has actively used the social media in articulating the Niger Delta cause. The
IYC wonders when it has become an offence to express one’s support for a cause
through the social media.”
Omare also included that: “After all, President Buhari is
one of the greatest beneficiaries of the social media during the last
presidential election; so why the clampdown on those who expresses dissent to
his administration through the same medium?
He declared that: “The IYC wishes to strongly advise the
federal government and agents of the federal government, including party
chieftains not to use the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta as a political
tool to arrest and silence opposing voices in the Niger Delta region.”
“There are indications that more opposing voices in the
Niger Delta may be arrested in the days ahead on the instigation of some
politicians to settle political scores. We call on President Buhari to call the
security agencies to order, as indiscriminate arrest of Niger Deltans,
especially those expressing dissent to the administration’s approach to issue
affecting the region would not do him any good.
“We reiterate our call for those under arrest to be charged
to a court of competent jurisdiction in line with the rule of law or be
released without delay,” he added
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