President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the military to suspend operations in the Niger Delta for two weeks to create a window for dialogue with militants.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, disclosed this in Abuja, on Monday.
Also on Monday, Niger Delta militants made a vow to strike some selected national formations, including Aso Villa, the National Assembly and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
According to Kachikwu, the Federal Government is determined to explore the dialogue option, with a view to restoring genuine peace in the region, where oil production has been significantly hurt by activities of the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, in the last two months.
He said: “The President is interested in dialogue and has mandated the military to halt actions for about two weeks to ensure a team that will be led by the NSA, dialogues with the militants to ensure peace in the region.
This is coming as more oil companies in the Niger Delta have reviewed their operations, following continued bombing of their facilities in Delta and Bayelsa states.
‘’The avenue is open for them, provided the militants are willing to embrace dialogue and allow truth to reign because we are going to involve key leaders from the region who have had previous experience in that area to play whatever role they can”.
Speaking at the handover ceremony of Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas to the Federal Ministry of Education, Kachikwu stated that the Federal Government was not just committed to securing oil and gas installations but the lives and property of people in the region.
According to Kachikwu, the Monguno team will consist of top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, service chiefs and ministers from the Niger Delta.
The NNPC boss said the nation needed peace in oil production now than ever, given the circumstances currently facing the economy.
However, Kachikwu expressed hope that the dialogue would yield positive results and get Nigeria back to maximum production as the country was currently producing about 1.6mbpd, about 600,000 barrels, short of the 2.2mbpd production target of the 2016 budget.
Meanwhile, Kachikwu has commended the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, for being able to start and finish a huge project such as the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas at Ekowe, Bayelsa State.
He said: “This is a very good attempt by PTDF, to cover the skill gap in the areas of training and research in oil and gas in the country.”
Meanwhile, Niger Delta militants on Monday threatened to strike some selected national formations, including Aso Villa, the National Assembly and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
They urged their occupants to leave as it resumes full blown war against the Nigerian government.
Meanwhile, tension has continued to mount in the region in view of the earlier threat to launch six missiles, which expires today (Tuesday).
Their anger, according to the militants under the aegis of the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, is to destroy any vital government institution built with oil and gas resources from the Niger Delta region.
In a statement issued on behalf of the militant group in Warri by General Akotebe Darikoro (Commander, General Duties), General Torunanaowei Latei (Creeks Network Coordinator), General Agbakakuro Owei-Tauro (Expert, Pipelines Bleeding) and General Pulokiri Ebiladei (Intelligence Bureau) of the JNDLF’s Joint Revolutionary Council, the militants also threatened to attack national assets in cities, such as Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna in the days ahead.
Although the specific date which the group will commence its operation was not stated in the release, they however warned residents and employees of such buildings to vacate so as not to fall victims of the attacks.
It reemphasised that the group would fire missiles simultaneously in the night to enable every Nigerians see their movements. The militants said this is to show their seriousness about actualising the nation’s breakable prospect, as predicted by the United States of America.
Other points also marked for attack by the militant group include the Defence Headquarters, the Directorate of State Security Headquarters, Police Headquarters, NNPC Towers, Supreme Court/Appeal Court and Agip Headquarters, Abuja.
Some others are Shell Headquarters, Lagos; Chevron Headquarters, Lagos; Exxon Mobil, Lagos; NLNG, Lagos and Abuja offices; Kaduna refinery and all military formations in the country.
The group in the statement said, “In our final meeting, it was resolved that the Nigerian Communication Satellite Orbit should be shut down so that it will avoid causing electronic radiation to human lives.
“Also, the following occupants of these buildings should, as a matter of urgency, vacate them immediately in their own interest, especially to save their lives, because our fight is not targeted at any human blood but to destroy all those infrastructures that were built with our oil and gas monies in this country.”
Meanwhile, some residents of the coastal communities in Delta State on Monday began massive relocation of their family members to the upland area, owing to the group’s threat to launch six missiles beginning from today (Tuesday).
Some of the apprehensive coastal dwellers who arrived in Warri, Burutu, Patani and Ughelli areas of the state on Monday appealed to the militants to consider their plight as they were already going homeless in the renewed hostilities in the region.
A prominent Niger Delta leader, Chief Favour Izoukumor, described the missile launch threat as a needless venture and asked President Muhammadu Buhari to have a rethink about any military action to confront the Niger Delta militants.
Izoukumor said employing political measures could help to forestall further militants’ attacks on the nation’s oil facilities.
Meanwhile, former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, has fled to Libya, the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF) alleged on Monday.
The group, which threatened, last week, to test six missiles in the Niger Delta states, beginning from tomorrow, said: “The Military can’t locate Tompolo but we have identified where he is now.”
General Akotebe Darikoro, Commander, General Duties, General Torunanaowei Latei, Creeks Network Coordinator, General Agbakakuro Owei-Tauro, Pipelines Bleeding Expert and General Pulokiri Ebiladei, Intelligence Bureau of JNDLF, made the claim in a statement.
“Presently, Tompolo is in Libya and we’ll get him dead or alive for betraying us in supporting the federal government against us,” it disclosed.
According to it: “Nigerian Military has weak intelligence gathering mechanism hence they could not identify our modus operandi. Nigerian military is only good in carrying AK47 to harass innocent people and raping young girls and women.”
