Mkpoikana Udoma
25 January 2018, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – Groups of Niger Delta militants in the oil-rich region have issued a 90-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to restructure Nigeria or risk unprecedented attacks on oil installations in the region.
The militant groups, who issued the ultimatum under the aegis of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, also warned that they would declare a Republic of Niger Delta if the Federal Government failed to address their demands.
The coalition called on northerners in the oil rich region to begin to consider leaving Niger Delta should the government fail to meet its demands.
The coalition also advised people from the South-South living in the North to return to their homes as it (coalition) is set to declare a Niger Delta Republic.
Some of the signatories to the statement issued on Wednesday are ‘General’ John Duku of the Niger Delta Watchdogs and also the Convener: Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators; ‘General’ Ekpo Ekpo for Niger Delta Volunteers, and many others.
“After three weeks of consultations and meetings across the Niger Delta region, the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators (CNDA), the umbrella militant group in the Niger Delta region, issued a 90-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to implement restructuring, resource control, return of the oil blocs own by non Niger Delta indigene to the Niger Delta people and relocation of the oil & gas companies headquarters to the Niger Delta otherwise there would be no one Nigeria.
“We shall officially declare Niger Delta Republic after 90 days if the Federal Government fails to implement the above demands; we also demand that all the northerners living in the Niger Delta should quit the region if the Federal Government fails to implement the above demands within the stipulated time.
“We also call on our people living in the North to also return to the Niger Delta for their safety. The massive killings all over the country by Fulani herdsmen are fully sponsored by top government functionaries especially the security chiefs who supply them with weapons and their sole aim is to achieve cattle colony and Islamic agenda with the help of the President being their man and patron.
“The idea of having cattle colony was already in the mind of President Buhari before he contested the 2015 election. The whole world can now see the reason why the President appoints all the security chiefs from the North, including DG of NIA, who is supposed to be replaced by someone from the South,” the militants’ statement read.
The coalition stressed that it would attack major oil blocs, wells, platforms, flow lines and all oil facilities and advised people to vacate such places within one month.
According to the statement, “We shall dislodge anyone we shall meet in such places as mentioned above at the expiration of our warning notice.
“Our principal targets are Usan, Ima, Okoro/Setu and Asabo oil fields, Okwok, Asuokpu/Umutu fields, OML 112, OML 117, Ebok, Obe oil field, Akpo, OPL 215, 840, OPL 733, 809, 810, 722, 905, 246, 110, 112, 117 etc.
“Other facilities also marked by our strike team are Total Nigeria Ltd, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Intels and Adax Petroleum.”
