Niger-Delta Militants Issue Fresh Threat To Attack Oil Facilities Over Non-Inclusion In Pipeline Protection Contract

Urhobo Gbagbako, an Urhobo militant group in Delta State, has warned that it may launch attacks on facilities of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company to press home its demands that the oil pipeline protection contract be extended to Urhobo concerns.

In an email sent to journalists on Thursday, the group took exceptions to the appointment of the President of the Ijaw Youth Congress to mediate between it and the NPDC.

The email, which was sent by the spokesman for the group, Mr. Priest Omodjuvwu, said the group considered it an insult to the Urhobo nation to have sent an Ijaw to mediate in the face-off between it and the NPDC.

The group had claimed responsibility for the destruction of two pipelines three weeks ago at Ekiugbo and Ighwrenene, Afiesere communities.

It had said the blow-up of the pipelines was to show its anger over the exclusion of the Urhobo people from the NPDC oil pipeline surveillance contracts.

The email said, “We shall prove to the entire world in the course of this long and painful campaign, the true spirit and resilience of our people.

“Our collective destiny shall never be determined by another ethnic nation, who, while they enjoyed their God – given wealth, expect us, the Urhobo nation, to stand aloof.

“Our people have resolved in no uncertain terms that the Urhobo people shall not entertain a master-servant or ‘Oga-boy’ relationship with any tribe in the Delta region.

“These crumb eaters and traitors in Urhoboland, who are presently making frantic calls to NPDC and in the guise of providing the solution to these crises in return for petty contracts, shall be put to an inglorious end very soon.

“We understand that these greedy traitors among which are one of the vigilance group heads had recently reached out to emissaries of NPDC.

“But they are mistaken. We shall reply these insults from these individuals, their collaborators against the Urhobo struggle and the NPDC by more attacks at the very heart of the facilities of the NPDC.

“And we are immediately meeting with our over 1,300 fighters and intelligence officers across the 24 kingdoms of the Urhobo nation to review and come out with ways to permanently deal with the threats posed by these unfortunate elements.

“We advise the general public to remain calm as all efforts are made to ensure that not a single life is lost in the cause of our operations against these oil thieves, who call themselves multinational oil companies, until justice is done, and seen to be done.”