Renegade militant groups from the nine states of the Niger Delta region under the aegis of the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) have again serve notice to oil multinational companies operating in the Niger Delta region on the planned resumption of hostilities in the region.
They have, therefore, warned them to evacuate their workers from rigs, platforms and manifolds noting that the safety of foreign nationals working in the region is no longer safe.
The RNDA, a coalition of nine renegade militant groups, had before the shooting at Lekki Toll gate announced their support for the #EndSARS protesters against police brutality and poor welfare for the citizens in to the country and threatened to resume hostilities against oil multinationals and oil and gas assets of the country in the region.
The group in the statement issued over the weekend via electronic mail and signed by Major Gen John-mark Ezon Ebi also known as Obama said following the alleged shooting of innocent protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate and the mayhem that followed in some parts of the country it had decided to take the destiny of the region into its hands and kick-start the occupation of all the major oil wells and the oil platforms.
The group which demanded compensation for oil communities over environmental pollution also asked for the control of “our God given resources in the region.”
According to it, if some part of northern states are allowed to operate and will be given license to engage in illegal mining and sale of gold., it is time for the people of the Niger Delta region, especially the Ijaw ethnic nationalities were also given equal opportunity to go ahead with artisan and local refining of crude oil in the creeks without any form of intimidation and harassment from the Nigerian government.
The group rejected the proposed N13 trillion plus budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to Nigerians, noting that it said did not capture any tangible and significant human capital development project for the oil-producing communities in the creek of the Niger Delta region.
The statement read in part: “The release of the ten licenses of the Modular Refineries in the Niger Delta region has not been approved up till this moment. Therefore, we cannot trust this federal government under President Muhammadu Buhai because we cannot fold our hands while billions and trillions are been approved by the federal executive council meeting every week.
‘And it is unfortunate that the implementation of any of the 16-point demands have not seen the light of the day and it is with deep regret that the visit of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to the creeks of Niger Delta region was just a joke and ploy to continue to milk the region dry, and it was just a laughing stock to the people of the region as one of their normal usual tricks to fool the people of the region. We demand for an urgent release of the gas flare penalty funds that the federal government refuse to release over the years.
“And failure to do that, the federal government will witness massive destruction of oil pipelines oil facilities and installations across the length and breadth of the Niger Delta region in a well-coordinated attack tagged “Cripple the Economy with Zero Crude Oil Production,” and there will be no more oil funds to finance the 2021 budget.
