Less than 48 hours after the Federal Government offered to hold peace
talks with rampaging militants
The NDA has claimed responsibility for the series of attacks on oil facilities in the region.
The facility, identified as Dibi Flow Station, is operated by Chevron
around Usor village in the Warri North Local Government Area of Delta
State.
Local residents told one of our correspondents on Wednesday that the incident occurred at about 1 am on Wednesday.
A prominent activist in the area, Mr. Graham Abulu, confirmed the incident in an interview with The PUNCH. Abulu said the loud explosions of the attack sparked panic among residents of the area.
Another source in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told
one of our correspondents that the flow station burst into flame after
the explosion.
A senior military officer, who also did not want his name mentioned, also confirmed the attack.
The source said a technical team had already been dispatched to the spot of the incident to assess the damage. The dreaded Niger Delta Avengers, which claimed responsibility for
similar incidents in the past, also claimed responsibility for the
attack through its tweeter handle, @NDAvengers.
“At 1am today, the @NDAvengers blow up(sic) Well RMP 20, belonging to
Chevron, located 20 meters(sic) away from Dibi flow Station in Warri
North LGA,” it stated.
The group also denied agreeing any ceasefire deal with the Federal Government to pave the way for negotiation. “This is to the general public: we’re not negotiating with any
Committee. If Fed Govt is discussing with any group, they’re doing that
on their own,” the group said.
The Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade Command of
the Nigerian Army, Benin, Captain Jonah Unuakhalu, said he was not aware
of the incident, but promised to confirm and get back to one of our
correspondents. But the team, set up by the Federal Government to hold talks with the NDA, said it had not commenced negotiation with the group.
A top member of the team, who confided in one of our correspondents
on Wednesday, said talks with the group had not started because the
terms and reference of the committee had not been unveiled.
“You mean modalities? No! It is not clear yet. They have not come out
with the terms of reference yet. We have not started,” the source
added. The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who announced
the setting up of the committee on Monday, said the government’s team
would be coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
He listed the members of the committee to include the Minister of
Niger Delta, Usani Uguru; himself, traditional rulers and influential
individuals from the group.
Meanwhile, a former President of the Ijaw Youths Council, Dr. Chris
Ekiyor, has hailed the decision of the President to set up a committee
to negotiate with the Avengers.
Ekiyor told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Wednesday
that declaring a ceasefire in the area for the commencement of dialogue
was commendable. However, Ekiyor, who is the Secretary of the Delta State Government
Advocacy Committee on Pipeline Vandalism, set up Governor Ifeanyi Okowa,
advised that efforts should be made to include stakeholders, who were
known by the government and the people of the area to build trust.
Also, former Niger Delta militants, under the aegis of Leadership,
Peace and Cultural Development Initiative, have appealed to the Niger
Delta Avengers to lay down their arms and embrace the Federal
Government’s call for dialogue.
The LPCDI, which made the appeal in a communique it issued on
Wednesday, said the move would engender sustainable peace, save the
environment and prevent the annihilation of the Niger Delta people.
The National Coordinator, LCPDI, Reuben Wilson, aka ‘General’ Pastor,
condemned the actions of the NDA, and appealed to them to give peace a
chance.
Wilson said the LCPDI stood for peace and would always do so because of the greater interest of the entire Niger Delta region.
He stated, “If you take an honest look at the actions of the NDA, you
will see that the bombing of pipelines and other vices will have a
lasting negative effect on our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters
and even children in the communities, who will not have a source of
livelihood if the whole area is polluted.
“We also don’t want soldiers to invade our communities like they did
in Borno State and rendered thousands of persons homeless. Rather, we
advise them (NDA) to channel their grievances through the right method
instead of destroying their own land and heritage to make their point.
“We wish to appeal to the members of the Niger Delta Avengers and any
other groups involved in the recent destruction of oil facilities in
the region to reconsider their activities and yield to the call from the
Presidency for dialogue as a means of finding lasting solutions to
their grievances.”
The national president noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire
to commence the Ogoni clean-up was a clear demonstration that Buhari
had the region’s interest at heart and would do anything possible to
alleviate the suffering of the people.
In a similar vein, the Ijaw National Congress has pleaded with
members of the Niger Delta Avengers not to turn down the offer by the
Federal Government to engage them in a dialogue.
The INC expressed dissatisfaction that the militant group had
rejected a call for a ceasefire by the Federal Government, elders and
youths of the Niger Delta.
An Ijaw apex body, Mr. Victor Burubo, argued that since the people of
Niger Delta, who the NDA members claimed to be fighting for had told
them to embrace peace, it was necessary for the militants to listen.
Burubo explained that the agitators had been able to make their
point, adding that the Federal Government had since expressed its
readiness to engage them in a negotiation. “Let them appreciate that the people they are fighting for are
suffering from their actions. Since the elders and youths of the region
have appealed to them to cease fire, it is necessary that they stop the
attack on oil installations. Let them give peace a chance,” Burubo
stated.
The INC spokesman, however, urged Buhari to hold talks with the Niger
Delta people rather than reaching them through his political party. Burubo called on the President to urgently implement the relevant
portions of the 2014 National Conference recommendations and the Ledum
Mitee’s report to enhance the development of the Niger Delta.
