How militancy is underdeveloping Niger-Delta

After several cases in Bayelsa, the first one was recorded in Rivers State, precisely on June 7, at Cawthorn channel. Before the militants took five Koreans working for Daewoo in the place hostage, they reportedly sank a gun boat used by security operatives attached to the oil facility and also killed about eight of the security men.

After fleeing with the Koreans whose names were given as H.J Kwom, H Park, S.B. Kim, O.K. Kim and H.D. Kim, they issued very strongly worded online statements in which they threatened not to release the hostages until their call for the release of Asari Dokubo and the impeached governor of Bayelsa State, DSP Alamieyeseigha, was met.

�They will not be released except with the release to us of our esteemed and patriotic leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari, and DSP Alamieyeseigha … There shall be no negotiations�, one of their statements had threatened. But, barely eighteen hours later, newsmen were invited to the state Government House to capture the handing over of the hostages back to their firm.

This development set the stage for hostage takings in the state. Demand for the release of Alams and Asari were often the excuse for the crime. For instance, twelve days after the first incident, the militants struck again, this time abducting two Filipinos, Gatorn Pacific and Joe Doctorlero. They were employees of PGS Exploration Company. This group, however, gave the failure of Saipem, an oil firm operating in their community, to implement a MoU signed with them as excuse for their action. These expatriates were still in their custody when another group abducted three Filipinos, Daniel Monteagudo, Cornelio Eallaria and Alberto Tories, in far away Bonny part of the state. Between the time the foregoing two cases occurred, a Belgian, Freddy Debuyn and Nasiri Bouchaib, a Morocan, working for Dredging Environmental and Marine Engineering, had been taken hostage in the state capital by another group.

These cases had hardly died down when another set of militants invaded a popular night club in Port Harcourt where they took another four expatriates, John Guyan, a Briton working with Smiths Bits company, Brayan Fogerty, a staff of Halliburton, Gerland Ezech, a German and hydrographic engineer, with Vich Resources and Captain Royce Anthony Paraity, an American. These men were still with their abductors when another group took another German, Guido Schiffarth, hostage in the state capital. On August 16, the militants struck again at Mbiama where they kidnapped a Lebanese who was simply described as Cowry.

Besides these cases, there were also many other related incidents. Even there was a time, they attacked a vessel being escorted by soldiers around Caw thorn channel, killing fifteen of the security personnel. The only one who managed to escaped later ran to the barracks to alert the military command.

Twist in the history of hostage taking: There was, however, a twist in hostage taking in the Niger Delta on November 22 when a group attacked a vessel belonging to Saipem on the high seas around Bonny. They abducted a Filipino, two Finns, one Briton, one Polish and a Romanian. Unfortunately for the group, men of the Nigerian Navy gave them a good chase which ended in a shoot out. And, in the ensuing battle to rescue the hostages, the Briton was killed.
Sources added that all the militants involved in this particular incident were also gunned down. But this could not be confirmed.

Many thought that the resistance militants had from the security operatives would make them beat a retreat on hostage taking. Though not in Rivers State, surprisingly, they struck again at Bayelsa on December 7, kidnapping four expatriates. The group reportedly responsible for this act had claimed responsibility for several bombings in Rivers State. Members of the group detonated explosives at Shell, Agip and around William Jumbo Street, all in Port Harcourt.

From all indications, between June 7 and December 29 this year, the state recorded about fifteen cases of abductions and seven explosions. There were blasts at separate times at the homes of the deputy speaker of the House of Representative, Hon Austin Opara, the finance commissioner in the state, Hon Kenneth Kobani and Mr. Okey, an in-law of the governor of the state.

Why the lawlessness: In virtually all their statements except for the abduction at Aker base in Port Harcourt, the militants had given the continued detention of Asari, Alams and the deplorable state of the region as factors for their action. But, in the opinion of many, it is true that these issues triggered the violence and crime in the region but they are no longer the sustaining factors. Dr Sofiri Peterside of the Centre for Advanced Social Studies (CASS) may have captured the picture right when he told Sunday Vanguard in an interview that the driving factor behind hostage taking in the region was money. He said it had become a flourishing business with governments in the region as principal partners. With the frequency and proliferation of the groups, temptations are high to toe the line of Sofiri Peterside. For instance, between June and December, over six different militant groups emerged.

Likely benefits from militancy: Money may really be at the root of the crime and violence in the region; nevertheless, it must be given to the militants that their actions had further globalized the problems of the area.

Although, before their emergence, the deplorable state of the region was an international issue, their actions further strengthened the call for the development of the area. Besides the creation of NDDC, their actions may have made President Olusegun Obasanjo to see the need to take bolder initiative to douse tension in the region.

This culminated in the birth of a committee for coastal states where problems of the region were critically x-rayed and solutions proffered. It was at the forum that the issue of economic empowerment of the region came up. And, in pursuance of this, special quotas were created for the area in the army, police and the navy. It was also at one of the sittings of the committee that approval was given for the dualisation of the East-West road. It is the thinking of many that the emergence of Governor Goodluck Jonathan of Bayelsa State as running mate to the PDP candidate in next year�s presidential election had something to do with steps to douse tension in the region.

But, they have to change strategy: Despite the effort of the Federal Government so far, there is still fear among some of the people that the government is insincere with the development of the region. For instance, they wonder why about eight months after government gave approval for the dualisation of the East-West road, nothing serious seems to have started on the project. Though the Federal Government has its blame on the deplorable state of the region, there are some people who think that the militants should mellow down so that avenues of dialogue can be exhausted to attract development to the area. In their reasoning, no meaningful development can take place in a volatile Niger Delta.

Mr. Yellowe Kenneth, chairman/CEO, Global Energy, belong to this group.He told Sunday Vanguard, some time ago, that no foreigner wants to come to the region to work because of actions of the militants.

Another investor in the region, who does not want his name in print, wondered how the dualisation of the East West road could be realized with the way the militants were going. “Obviously, we need a foreign firm to handle the job.

But, I don�t see any expatriate that will want to come and work on the road with the way things are going. This is why I will always advise the militants to be careful so that their actions don�t make them the greatest enemy of the region,� he said.

Army explores option of dialogue: It is to see how the region could benefit from steps being taken by government to address some of the problems that informed a meeting between the army and militants in Port Harcourt on November 4. At the meeting, the chief of army staff, Lieutenant General Owoye Andrew Azazi, literarily knelt down begging the �boys� to allow the region take full advantage of the developmental initiative of government.

�I am sure the whole world is aware of the plight of the region. The case of the Niger Delta has reached a point where we cannot separate ideology from crime. In some cases, it is pure crime. I think it is bad.

We have sympathy but this should be guided by the need for safety and survival of our environment under conditions of peace. Basically, my worry is how the region can benefit from the efforts of the Federal Government. If there is violence, we cannot benefit from the efforts,” he lamented in Port Harcourt.

For Mr. Lucky, a field worker of one of the multinationals who is also from the region, there was urgent need to develop the hinterlands of the Niger Delta. But, he feared that the way the militants were carrying on, the much sought physical development may be a mirage, and history may not be fair to the militants, as it may capture them as the greatest threat to the development of the region.
He described what is happening in the region as the case of the ignorant ones wanting to die for their brothers who want to live. He said: �Until you go to the deeper communities in the Niger Delta, you may not appreciate the agitations in the region. There are no schools for the children in many of these communities, yet so much money is made from the area. So, in many cases, the children begin fishing from their early ages. They grow to meet their seniors who also started fishing from the same age.
�At the end, you have a bunch of ignorant youths that are now introduced into hostage taking by the few enlightened ones. Just like the almajiri case in the north where this group dies for the ruling and enlightened class, so it is here. No educated man will want to die.

Ignorant group

It is this ignorant group that is provided with sophisticated weapons to indulge in all kinds of crimes like hostage taking. And when any gain comes, it goes to the enlightened ones. This is just the true situation. I am from here. And I have also been involved in negotiating releases of hostages. There was no time any of the negotiation was held with the direct kidnappers around.

�I can speak for Shell; this company is really interested in the development of its host communities. But what happens after MoUs are signed is that monies meant for the development of the areas are diverted by some chiefs. Because after the MoUs are signed, the contracts go to the chiefs who, in turn, would not put anything on ground at the end of the day. These are the problems. Sometimes, these militants should look inward for what is behind the underdevelopment of their area.�

What should be done: Like others, Lucky suggested that the villages be flooded with functional schools. Good teachers, he said, should be encouraged with attractive incentives to go to the villages.”This kind of two weeks in and out arrangement should also be made for teachers, may be at a cost to the companies. Another important thing is that technical schools should be set up in these communities. Government should not be biased in the distribution of the schools. The ethnic groups in the region should get equal attention.

�Above all, some ethnic groups in the region should be declared educationally less developed. This way, just like some section of the north is allowed with two passes into the university, these groups too can have that privilege. This is very necessary because most of the children from these ethnic groups never had primary education, so they can�t compete in terms of education.�
How the Federal Government handles the Niger Delta issue would go a long way in speaking about the investment friendly nature of the country.