A group of militants in the Niger Delta have threatened to cripple crude oil production in the country.
There has been relative calm in the oil rich region, following the peace moves initiated by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
As the Acting President, Osinbajo met with stakeholders in various oil producing states and assured them of the Federal Government’s desire to meet their demands.
According to Daily Post, the militants made the declaration following reports that President Buhari asked the President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim to focus on developing the northern region of Nigeria.
The militants also condemned the Army exercise code named: Operation Crocodile Smile in the Niger Delta.
A statement issued by the group reads: “The current revelation of the World Bank and the present NNPC scandal has given us no choice but to activate our digital strike team to swing into action to stop further exploration and exportation of oil from the Niger Delta.
“For it is very obvious that this present administration is for the North only, without putting into cognizance that 90 per cent of the resources that sustain this nation is from the Niger Delta.
“We want to warn that this deliberate provocation and intimidation by the northern oppressors to provoke the Niger Delta people would be counterproductive because we are going to resist them with the last drop of our blood and a devastating response.
“We would not allow our resources to be used to fund only the north and intimidate us, rather than developing the Niger Delta deprived of its God-given resources since 1958.”
“The antics of their divide and rule tactics would never work again in the Niger Delta in this 21st century because the world and all honest Nigerians have seen the antics and tactics of the federal governments’ insensitivity and insincerity after the adoption of the 16-point agenda of PANDEF on the 3rd of August 2017.
“It is still very fresh in our minds the betrayal of Isaac Boro to keep Nigerian one, the killing of Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni 9 and the dehumanization of their bodies with acid, the genocide in Odi, the genocide in Gbaramatu Kingdom.
“We the NDRC and the 21st Century Youths and all affiliate organizations are determined to prove to the world that we are not cowards. The present military operation called Operation Crocodile Smile II that is currently going on in the Niger Delta would not deter us neither would we be intimidated because the current agitators have succeeded in taking the struggle from analogue to digital.
“We have successfully proven to our oppressors before the ceasefire that we have the capacity to stop the flow of our God-given resources as our clamour and fight is for equity and justice,”they added.
The militants also said that their agitations and grievances are genuine, adding that no amount of intimidation will stop them.
They said “We, therefore, want to warn the federal government that the deliberate provocation of the Operation Crocodile smile 2 in the Niger Delta is a waste of time.
“We know our targets and no Niger Delta youth of this 21st century would be seen in the old fashion. We want to use this medium to advise our elders and leaders of the Niger Delta that our generation called the 21st century would not make the mistake our fathers made that have portrayed them as cowards as if the Fulani and Islamic jihadists have conquered the Niger Delta.
“We want to warn that the planned islamization and conqueror approach by this present government would be resisted with the last drop of our blood in this 21st century. We advise our brothers to be calm and steadfast and avoid any confrontation with the army because we the 21st century youths and other agitators have the ability to stop the flow of our oil in our backyards.
“Our grievances and agitations are genuine and nobody can or would be able to intimidate us with whatever military operations because we already know their aims and objectives. We want to warn that we are closely watching their actions and inactions and would respond at the appropriate time as we still believe in the eminent members of the PANDEF that persuaded us to ceasefire for sincere dialogue, for lasting peace for the rich, but impoverished people of the Niger Delta.
“If our understanding and sincerity is taken for granted, it means we would have no choice but to prove that we are not cowards and we would start implementing our next line of action for operation zero barrel of oil in the Niger Delta because enough is enough.”
The presidency, in its reaction to the World Bank chief’s revelation, insisted that Buhari has always considered the North-East to be a main priority for him, and that he’s never made it a secret.
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