A Niger Delta militant group who call themselves ‘The Supreme Egbesu Liberation Fighters’ has threatened to launch hostilities in the major cities of Abuja and Lagos. In a video aired on Tuesday by Africa Independent Television (AIT), the group which accused the federal government of marginalising the South-South region also condemned the amnesty program. The video showed several men dressed in military uniforms with covered faces. They danced around and brandished rifles. Reading from a statement, one of the masked members of the group said since the birth of the amnesty pact, “till date, there are no schools, no potable water, no light, no hospital and access roads for our people to enjoy.”
“No meaningful progress has been made” with the Ogboni clean-up project “because the Nigerian government has decided to place politics against the meaningful development of our people”.
The group also lamented that “Over the years, the Niger Delta people have made frantic efforts to create an enabling environment... but to our great dismay, the Nigerian government over the years has decided to handle the issues of the Niger Delta with kid gloves. They have betrayed the struggle and have left the people to their fate.
“Rather, what is visible is the presence of military gunboat and the numerous military personnel dispersed to the Niger Delta, who are killing, raping, and maiming the innocent people of the region”.
“Look at the security surveillance contract taking place in our region through the federal government these agencies in place has decided to short-change our people. Now in our territorial waters, it is an Israeli company that is providing waterway security which we have competent hands with expert knowledge to manage.
“Don’t worry, because we are coming to destroy all your infrastructure in Abuja and Lagos. As a group committed to giving total liberation to our people, we will destroy the oil facilities both onshore and offshore in no distant time, we will be seen to be crippling the Nigerian economy.”
The group further asked the government to allow the region to manage its resources “the way Zamfara gold mining sector is being handled by their own people.”