Niger-Delta militants to FG: We’re ready to destroy oil industry

The militant groups from the nine states of the Niger Delta region known as the ‘Reformed Niger Delta Avengers’ (RNDA) has again put on red alert the multinational oil companies operating in the region on their planned resumption of hostilities in the area, warning them to evacuate their workers from rigs, platforms and manifolds.

To this end, RNDA has called on international communities, such as the United Nation Deputy Secretary General from Nigeria (Ms. Amina Mohammed) and the European Union, the President of the United State of America and the host of other leaders in the global international community to as a matter of urgency call on their fellow citizens that are working with the multinational oil companies to vacate the creeks of the Niger Delta region before the “heavyweight of the RNDA Special Trained Striking Force Unit falls on them.”

The RNDA, in the statement issued at the weekend via electronic mail and signed by Major Gen John-mark Ezon Ebi also known as ‘Obama’, warned that anything that stands in their way will be crushed without mercy.

The statement reads in part: “All foreign nationals working in the creeks with all the multinational oil companies are hereby advised to leave the region as all our unit commanders have been put on red alert to resume operation zero oil production in this new fresh demand.

“The oil facilities listed for destruction as the Chevron major oil platforms, Shell major oil pipelines and the NNPC gas lines that distribute from Escravos-Warri- Kaduna-Lagos and also supply to Abuja.

“We will bring them all down until our demands are met through proper engagement from the Federal Government or else no going back on the 21-day ultimatum issued earlier.

And we are going to occupy all the platforms, well head locations and major crude oil pipelines until we see a proper channel of engagement from the Federal Government through this above mentioned agencies, the GMD NNPC and most especially the newly appointed Amnesty Coordinator who has promised Mr President that he is going to engage all the aggrieved militant groups stakeholders and also promised to carry everybody along in other to restore peace and stability in the creeks of the region.”

Espousing further, they said they were not happy with the decision to take $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2019 to acquire heavy weapons to fight Boko Haram insurgents in the North East. “This is wicked and insensitive to the peace accord signed with the people of the Niger Delta region most especially the RNDA Militant group that accepted the ceasefire agreement on August 21, 2016,” they said.

The militants also demanded for the urgent release of the N98 billion gas flare penalty fund to the host communities of the Niger Delta wish is are funds domicile into the federation account through the Central Bank by the IOC’s and the multinational oil companies as payment to compensate the communities being affected by the activities of the IOCs.

The statement further said: “RNDA reject the proposed N13 trillion plus budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to Nigerians which did not capture any tangible and significant human capital development project for the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta region – the region whose crude oil will be used to finance the socalled budget.”

Also the RNDA demanded that the propose 2021 budget which appropriated billions of naira to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) should be withdrawn and put on hold until a substantive board of the NDDC is inaugurated and sworn in by President Buhari.

The militants ended with a chilling warning that failure of the government to accede to their demands, “The Federal Government will witness massive destruction of oil pipelines, oil facilities and installations across the length and breadth of the Niger Delta region in a well-coordinated attack tagged ‘Cripple the Economy with Zero Crude Oil Production’. There will be no more oil funds to finance the 2021 budget.”