Steer Clear Of Bayelsa, Ex-Militant Tells NDA

Following the renewed threat by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to unleash more attacks on oil installations in the region and the attendant dangers such destructions have on Niger Delta communities, a prominent ex-militant leader, Mr Africanus Ukparasia, has vowed to resist the NDA’s threat.
Ukparasia, popularly called ‘General Africa; a former commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) who announced his new stand in Yenegoa last Thursday, warned NDA to steer clear of his state, Bayelsa.
The Tide gathered that the Ex-militant leader who is now the chairman, Bayelsa Waterways Security Task Force said he would not joke with his mandate to secure the creeks in Bayelsa and stop the activities of NDA and its supporters.
He stated that his task force was ready to deal decisively with anybody or group who tries to turn the state into a theatre of war and destruction of property, remarking that the gods of the state would not allow NDA to cause chaos and further degrade the environment.
“We advise Bayelsa people to report any suspicious movement in their communities as it is the duty of all to be vigilant against the nefarious activities of criminals who cause problems to give the military reason to invade our communities for innocent people to suffer.
“The task force will no longer allow the destruction of oil facilities in Bayelsa, with the attendant consequences of low federal allocation and non-payment of salaries”, he said.
He urged youths of the state not to fall for the antics of some persons deceiving them to buy firearms to partake in a phantom arms buy-back programme of the Federal Government.
Noting that the Waterways Security Task Force which he heads was legally established by the Federal Government in partnership with the Bayelsa State Government to stop crime and criminal activities along Bayelsa State’s waterways, Ukparasia said the group would work with security agencies to maintain peace and order in the state.
“We hereby warn that anyone trying to sabotage the peace in the state will be decisively dealt with”, he maintained.