Announcing its intention in a statement posted in its website, the NDA promised to ‘humble’ the economy into “permanent recession” through an operation that would also target political actors allegedly collaborating with the Nigerian government to undermine the interest of the people of the Niger Delta.

This is coming barely a month after a former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, issued a letter to the Federal Government to inaugurate the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) or risk consequences to critical assets in the region after the expiration of seven days ultimatum.

In its own threat on Saturday, the militant group said it had ordered its foot-soldiers to return to the creeks in preparation for imminent attacks on oil and gas installations.

Entitled: “WE ARE BACK WITH OPERATION HUMBLE,” the militants said they had lost confidence in the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and all other sociocultural groups in the region, elders, leaders and former militants.

The statement read in part:

“There is no gainsaying that the failed country called Nigeria which has fed fat on our God-given wealth is at the brink of total disintegration owing to the security and related challenges across the country; ranging from terrorism and banditry in the North to the secessionist gongs of the Oduduwa people of the South-West and IPOB of the South-East it is obvious that peace in the Niger Deltan and by extension the South-South geopolitical region is the very thin piece still binding this country together.

It is disheartening that despite being the economic backbone and having resolved to maintain the peaceful environment for the smooth operations of the oil multinationals whose proceeds the country cling unto for economic survival, the Niger Delta and the South-South remain the most underdeveloped with our needs and interests undermined by the failed Nigerian state.

“We decided to suspend our famous, operation red economy‚ which bled the Nigerian economy into recession about four years ago not because we are lazy but for the love we have for our people and out of respect for the voice of the elders of the Niger Delta region who beckoned on us to give peace a chance and avail the government time to act on our demands at the time.

In a move to remind this government that we have exhausted the very last iota of patience, the High Command of the Niger Delta Avengers have in a meeting held last night resolved as follows:

“We have lost total confidence on all sociocultural groups like PANDEF, the elders of Niger Delta and the bunch of so called ex-agitators frolicking with the government at our detriment.

“There is no doubt that the Nigerian government has continued to pay deaf ears to our demands and the rising challenges in the country because the pipelines that crisscrosses our lands her left untouched, allowing dollars to flow into the federal treasury on a daily basis for mismanagement.

We shall spare no single oil installation within our range of strategic targets marked for destruction in the coming days and we bet the Nigerian Government will be humbled to return to the drawing board and chart an all inclusive course by the time we are done with our action plan.

“The high command of the NDA has promoted and appointed one of our finest operatives, Field Commander Tu-ere aka Queen of the Creeks to the rank of Brigadier General. She is an experienced field agent who before now was the head of the counter intelligence unit of the NDA, using her connections with top Government and security officials to deliver on her assignment.

She was part of the our elite Strike Teams that attacked and took down the Chevron Valve platform on the 4th of May, 2016; the Shell Forcados 48-inch Export line on the 3rd of June, 2016; and the Exxon Mobil Qua Iboe 48 Crude Oil Pipeline on the 11th of July, 2016.”

“Brig. Gen. Tu-ere is the first female to ever attain this level and it is solely out of merit, and is placed in charge by the High Command of the NDA to execute operation humble to the later.

The post Niger Delta Avengers return with ‘Operation Humble’ appeared first on AFRICA EXPLAINED.

The journalist who tweets under the Twitter handle @Truthfully83 reports that the militants have threatened hostilities.

The FG under @MBuhari cannot pay 800 million naira to Kankara Kidnap Bandits, & 800 million to Kagara Kidnap Bandits, in less than 2 months, & think other criminals will not react.

The Niger-Delta militants have returned back to the creeks. They have threatened hostilities. pic.twitter.com/cUGrKLl7w4

— 99% OPPRESSED (@Truthfully83) February 23, 2021

In 2007, under then Nigerian president, Umaru Musa Yar’adua amnesty was extended to warring Niger-Delta militants who had picked up arms against their country. For a period, the militants destroyed oil facilities, kidnapped and killed many security agents causing significant human and revenue losses.

Relative stability was achieved in 2009 after The presidential amnesty programme for Niger Delta came to restore fragile peace in the oil-rich region.

Kankara abductions

On December 11, gunmen on motorcycles invaded Government Science School students in Kankara, Katsina State, and abducted over 300 students.

This occurred at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting Daura, his hometown in Katsina for a private visit.

The boys were eventually released and received by the Katsina State government after seven days in captivity. But the detail of their release is a topic of debate.

First, the government admitted that it negotiated with the bandits and secured their release without paying any ransom. Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu told reporters: ‘All of the leading actors involved in the release of the children said no ransom was paid.

“The governor of Zamfara State, who had a policy of engagement with the bandits leading to the surrender and renouncement of bandits, used repentant bandits to gain access to those that were in the forest and they had them (schoolboys) released. All the leading actors in Zamfara and Katsina state said no ransom was paid,” he said.

The post Video shows Niger-Delta militants regrouping in the creeks after reports of FG paying bandits N800 million to free kidnapped students appeared first on AFRICA EXPLAINED.