One of the latest militant groups in Nigeria’s restive Niger Delta, Adaka Boro Avengers (ABA) said on Sunday that it had concluded arrangements with other militant groups to declare the Niger Delta region an independent republic three weeks from today, that is August 1.
The militant group also gave the Federal Government an ultimatum to withdraw its personnel and establishment from the region before the date of its declaration of independence.
It also ordered all northerners and people of the South West to vacate its territory.
In the same vein, the Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta, another militant group, said it has rejected the leadership of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
ABA, in a statement issued by General Edmos Ayayeibo, its spokesperson, mandated the Federal Government to use the three weeks’ notice to “move out all military personnel and all government agencies out of the Niger Delta,” and warned that “failure will lead to destruction of military barracks and personnel.”
“We, the Adaka Boro Avengers and all the freedom fighters in the Niger Delta region have met and come to a conclusion that we are declaring the Niger Delta Republic three weeks from today July 18, 2016.
“So we are by this notice calling on the Nigerian government to move out all military personnel and all government agencies out of the Niger Delta. Failure will lead to destruction of military barracks and personnel.
“We are, also, by this notice calling on our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters living in the northern parts of Nigeria to return home immediately.
“We are also warning northerners and westerners to leave the Niger Delta region immediately within three weeks from now, for their own good.
“If they refuse to heed to our warning, we will use so many as example in the Niger Delta region on the due date.
“We are telling the Nigerian government that enough is enough and we are taking our independence by force. We have our foreign backers, so we are not afraid of the Nigerian government but ready for total war.
“The inhuman treatment given to us by Nigerian government is enough. We can no longer withstand the suffering of our Niger Delta people. They should not take us for fools.”
The Ultimate Warriors, in a statement on Saturday, had told MEND to stop parading itself as the leader of the militant groups in the region and vowed to continue with the destruction of oil installations.
The group said: “We have said it before that we have nothing to lose on the bombing of oil pipelines because our mission is to ground the oil economy if our demands are not met.
“We have said we are doing what we are doing to prod the government to renegotiate the control of our oil resources and other related matters.
“We have watched with chagrin the recent utterance by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and all we are see in them are double standard and lips service to the demand of the groups as its concerns the Niger Delta question and that is why all of our units and affiliates have not fully heeded to our ceasefire.”
The Adaka Boro Avengers had on Tuesday, July 5, indicated that it would team up with the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to attack more oil installations in the Niger Delta.
The activities of these militant groups have negatively affected Nigeria’s crude oil production and sales.
As at May 2016, Nigeria’s oil production had dropped to 1.65m barrels a day, the lowest output in 22 years, as a result of resurgence of militant activities in the Niger Delta region.
Culled from: Independent Newspaper
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