UES, New Militant Group Vows To Cripple Nigeria

By Oyibo Ediri

A deadly group from the Urhobo ethnic stock simply identified as ‘Urhobo Equity Struggle’ has erupted. Urhobo Equity Struggle (UES) proclaimed its emergence via its website, https://urhoboequitystruggle.wordpress.com and its twitter handle, tweeting at media houses and prominent Nigerians on twitter.

A careful perusal of the website show that UES has issued a warning to President Muhammadu Buhari and oil firms with oil facilities and installations in Urhobo land. The group in its website has threatened to cripple the nation’s economy if their demands are not met by the President Buhari-led federal government.

The demands presented by the group as lifted from the website are:

  1. That, the head offices of oil companies, including the National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) be relocated to the Niger Delta.
  2. That, all multinational oil firms with installations and facilities in Urhobo land that do not have their offices located in Urhobo land have their offices dislodged from Lagos, Abuja and elsewhere, and relocated to Urhobo land.
  3. That, as was the case in the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions, the federating units in the country should be the states, not states and local governments. Each state as a federating unit should have its autonomous constitution and full complement of judicial institutions, including a supreme court. The central government’s monopoly control over oil and over mineral resources and other states natural resources should cease in favour of the states. The federal government should no longer exercise monopoly control of mineral ownership and exploitation.
  4. That, the ownership of oil blocs must reflect 60% for the oil producing people and 40% for the non-oil producing people.
  5. That, Urhobo land and indeed all oil polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up and compensation be paid to all oil producing communities, especially the affected communities in Urhobo land.
  6. That, we want right of ownership and control over our natural and economic resources. We stand for the defence of equity and democracy for the Urhobo people.
  7. That, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, the Leader of IPOB be released unconditionally, with immediate effect.
  8. That, we strongly recommend that Urhobo ethnic nationals should take charge of the security of oil and gas facilities within their domain and as such, they should be held responsible in case of any oil/gas facilities vandalism; and that Urhobo sons and daughters be appointed into key positions in the federal government of Nigeria owing to the importance of the Urhobo nation to Nigeria.
  9. That, we are giving the federal government two weeks ultimatum to start addressing these issues, because this time around, it is not a feminist drift; it is going to be total mayhem, it is going to be bloody! We are revolting with guerrilla militia against the exploitation, oppression and injustice of the Urhobo people. If the Nigerian governments refuse to do something drastic to improve the lot of the Urhobo people, by addressing these issues and others not lodged here, inevitably, a point of no return will be reached. We are going to demonstrate to the world what and how we feel about oppression. If the Federal Government of Nigeria fails to hearken to these demands we will ground oil exploration and exploitation in the country and we will be left with no other option than to secede.
  10. That, all oil multinationals, owners and operators of oil blocs and foreign investors should observe this ultimatum, as their business interest in the country is first target.

The various articles the group published on its website show that the two weeks ultimatum issued by the group expired Wednesday 22nd June 2016. In a recent article titled ‘DEADLINE IS CROSSED... OUR DEMANDS’ published on the website, the group vowed to strike soonest. The group claims all its warlords are evenly spread across the length and breadth of Urhobo land and the Niger Delta region.