By Ebitonye Akpodigha
Members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) have reportedly destroyed an oil facility in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
This comes when the militants and the Federal Government agreed to a ceasefire to give room for talks.
Though lately, the Nigerian government deployed troops to the region in an operation code named ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’, which has caused uproar in some quarters.
The NDA disclosed on Saturday via its spokesman, Brig-Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, that it “brought down oil productions activities at the Bonny 48 inches crude oil Export Line” at exactly 8:40pm on Friday.
Mr Agbinibo further disclosed that, “This action is a signature to the over dramatization of the so-called dialogue and negotiation process on the side of President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.”
He said, “Since the cessation of hostilities and the commitment of the PAN Niger Delta Elders and stakeholders team, the Nigerian government and her agents are turning the expectations of the Niger Delta to shameful scenes obtainable in Nollywood acts and as well intimidations, blackmails and continuous profiling of Niger Delta sons and daughters. This is only a wake-up call; we may not have other way to say it better.”
“We are still in favour of the dialogue and negotiations but we are warning against ‘the peace of our time! We want the peace with honour’.
“We will resist all actions undermining the ceasefire from side of the government and it security agents/ agencies.
“The world is watching, time is running against the Nigerian state; while we were promised that the concerns of Niger Delta will be addresses once a truce is declared, the activities of the government and her agents are not assuring enough, there has been no progress and no breakthrough.
“We cannot be continuously fooled, the government cannot justify the indiscriminate targeting of Niger Delta youths while glorifying on these victimization of law abiding citizens of the region,” the group said.
