The Niger-Delta militants have threatened to renew violent attacks on oil installations in the country as well as extend their activities to other strategic cities including Lagos, Abuja, Owerri and Kaduna in a renewed demand to achieve justice and right for self-determination.
The youths who dropped this threat in a statement issued weekend also warned all whitemen to leave the Niger-Delta region, stressing that they had instructed their officers to commence hostage-taking anywhere in the country.
In the statement issued by the Tom Ateke-led New Niger-Delta Revolutionary Army (NNDRA, they however, gave conditions for peace in the region, explaining that they pulled-out of the peace talk with the Federal Government because the peace committee as constituted by the Federal Government was made up of insincere leaders.
It said: “We the New Niger Delta Revolutionary Army after our meeting has resolved to resume our activities due to the insincerity of the Nigerian government and fake leaders in the region. We have also decided to pull out of the accord with any state government and initiate a new set of method that will bring all to a standstill as the injustice to the region is much. Following this, we will embark on a nationwide mission to achieve our objective of librating our people,” the email stated.
The statement despatched by Ateke also known as Supreme Commander Otiko further stated; “We are ready to make the joint task force team to justify the huge investment the government is making by keeping them busy in the Niger-Delta region by extending our activities to Lagos, Abuja, Owerri and Kaduna.”
Continuing, it said: “All whitemen should leave the Niger-Delta. We are not ready to be deceived again the way Asari Dokubo did by eating up our arm-for-cash programme, and as such we have resolved as follows: to resume our arms struggle in a manner that we can bomb, Abuja, and Lagos; to commission our officers to kidnap anywhere in Nigeria; to make the government of Nigeria difficult; From now on the people are ready to die.”
In a separate statement the group also called on the Federal Government to put in place a lasting negotiation platform through the serving senators and other responsible leaders from the region.
It said: “We have had useful discussions with some of the Senators whom we believe mean well for the region. This initiative, as discussed will have the representation of over 5,000 militants across different states in the region and as such will guarantee non-violence because the power is now centralized.”
Te group also stated that the “platform will embark on the programme of Rehabilitation, Reorientation and Reintegration (3Rs) for the militants through both public and private sector partnership arrangement.”