Following continued bombing and sabotage of economic assets particularly oil platforms by militants in the Niger Delta, the Defence headquarters last night vowed that the armed forces will not relent in its efforts to flush out economic saboteurs perpetrating evil in the Niger Delta under whatever name, including Niger Delta Avengers.
Consequently, the DHQ has waved aside allegations that the military was harassing and arresting innocent inhabitants of the Niger Delta, saying: “It is the same group of people that are wreaking havoc on the critical national assets that are blackmailing the Armed Forces and other security agencies to divert attention”.
A statement, yesterday, signed by the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar said, “The Defence Headquarters wishes to emphasize that the Nigerian Armed Forces will not relent in their efforts to flush out economic saboteurs masquerading under whatever guise to perpetuate evils in the Niger Delta.
“As part of the constitutional mandate of the armed forces, the military will not jettison the confidence reposed in it by the good citizens of our great nation in ensuring that peace and security prevail in our land.
“The military is not unmindful of the campaign of calumny against our soldiers by paid agents claiming that soldiers are harassing members of the public while performing their constitutional responsibility.
“It is pertinent to state that it is the same group of people that are wreaking havoc on the critical national assets that are blackmailing the armed forces and other security agencies to divert attention.
“The military and other security agencies will continue to discharge their lawful duties in the Niger Delta and any other part of the country in a most professional manner devoid of the claim by the criminal elements of harassment, intimidation and arrest.
“Our job is to secure infrastructural facilities and property of innocent citizens as well as containing the activities of criminal.
“The blackmail by sponsored persons would not deter the military from been focused and committed in its effort to fish out the vandals as the whole world is seeing what the so-called militants are criminally doing in the attacks of oil pipelines.
“The security measure put in place is not meant to intimidate any innocent individuals but to bring normalcy to our land.
“We urge the communities and well-meaning Nigerians to cooperate with the security agencies in their bid to apprehend the perpetrators.
“The military would respond decisively in a professional manner at appropriate time” the acting DDI said.
Meanwhile, Niger Delta Avengers, the new militant group that has claimed responsibility for a string of attacks on oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta, continued its disruption of Nigeria’s oil production with the bombing of more crude oil pipelines yesterday.
The group announced the latest attack via its Twitter handle yesterday evening, saying it blew up “Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and Clough Creek to Tebidaba crude oil pipelines in Bayelsa State.”
“At about 2:00am today @NDAvengers blew up the Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and Clough Creek to Tebidaba crude oil pipelines in Bayelsa State.”
The Avengers added that the latest disruption is “in line with our promise to all international oil companies and indigenous oil companies that Nigeria oil production will be zero.”
The group did not say which oil company is operating the pipelines.
The group’s operation had become more audacious in recent weeks as it continued to cripple Nigeria’s oil production, demanding a sovereign nation of the Niger Delta people.
The Avengers had rejected a meeting recently convened in Abuja by the federal government, warning of its readiness to carry out an attack that will “shock the whole world”.
“The Niger Delta stakeholder’s meeting is an insult to the people of Niger Delta. What we need is a Sovereign State not pipeline Contracts.
“To the IOC’s, Indigenous Oil Companies and Nigeria Military. Watch out something big is about to happen and it will shock the whole world,” the group tweeted on Friday.
Last Thursday, it claimed responsibility for an attack on a gas pipeline belonging to Chevron in Delta State.
“We warned Chevron, but they didn’t listen. NDA just blew up the Escravos tank farm main electricity feed pipeline,” it said.
The militants said the oil facilities were sabotaged following attempts by Chevron to carry out repairs of main Escravos crude oil pipeline it blew up earlier.
A spokesperson for the group, Mudoch Agbinibo, had last month warned the Nigerian government of further attacks if their demands were not met.
Two weeks ago, Chevron’s Makaraba crude oil line was attacked on the offshore Okan manifold in the region.
The attack followed previous ones on NNPC, Agip, Shell and other major oil corporations’ facilities across the delta states and it has resulted in the loss of over 40,000 barrels of crude oil per day.