Militants Blow Up Another Oil Facility In Delta As Troops Raid Militants’ Camps

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, AUGUST 30, (THEWILL) – An Urhobo militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Movement, NDGJM, has blown up the Ogor-Oteri major delivery line, operated by the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, and Shorelines Petroleum in Delta state, where troops of 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army raided a suspected oil bunkerer and militants’ camps at Afiagbene in Burutu Local Government Area but found nobody.

In a statement by its leader, “Gen” Aldo Agbalaja, NDGJM claimed responsibility for the attack at about 3.00 hours, explaining that it was executed by its Uproot Team B. The group said it was also launching “Operation Crocodile Tears” since the military had launched “Operation Crocodile Smile” to supposedly worsen the Niger Delta crisis.

Meanwhile the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement on Tuesday that the troops carried out the raid in a part of Delta state in collaboration with the Navy.

He stated that the raid was part of the field training exercise on the day 4 of the ongoing operation nicknamed, 'Operation Crocodile Smile' in the Niger Delta.

Usman said the troops, however, recovered two generators, one locally made double barrel gun, one dane gun, three live cartridges and two pumping machines.

Others items recovered includes: one 32 inches LG television, one Kenwood amplifier and 4 X 50 litres of liquid suspected to be crude oil at Ayakoromo junction.

This was as the Urhobo militant group stated that it has been proven right by recent developments around the Niger Delta region, especially as it concerns the issue of justice and the inalienable right to protect the people of the region's heritage.

The statement reads, “Now it has become clearer who is serious about getting justice for our people and who has been using the name of the region and the destinies of all our peoples to feather their nests, raising dusts merely to harass the Nigerian state and the oil multinationals into parting with money.

“Although some selfish machinery, merely put together to achieve some pecuniary ends, has been parading in the name of the peoples of the Niger Delta, the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate will not be derailed on its mission to getting justice for the people.”

The NDGJM maintained that those who want to join the self acclaimed leaders of the region to make quick money in the arrangement they had put together were free to do so, but it lacked confidence in the show they put together, calling it a pan Niger Delta initiative.

It said those people could speak for Ijaw nation, but certainly not all the nations in the region, adding that: “When lines are blurred, justice is most likely to be miscarried. If there shall be a negotiation, it must be seen and indeed, must be in actual sense, be representing all the individual nations of the region equally.”

According to the group, “The drama that trailed the visit of some Ijaw royal fathers to the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, in Abuja recently is more reason why equity must be a factor in setting up a body that will dialogue on behalf of all the peoples of the Niger Delta.

“If the said leader could not respect the royal fathers of his ethnic nation, if he is lording his will over them, what chance do other nations have, which do not have adequate representation?

“That said, the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate will no longer sit quietly watching the endless harassment of our people in various parts of the region by the Nigerian military. We had once warned against the victimization and harassment of defenseless people of the region, especially in the creeks, but rather than heed, the Nigerian military has increased its presence and made life more difficult for our people.

“They are now killing our people on the basis of mere suspicion, this cannot continue,” it vowed.

NDGJM continued: “With the launch of their 'Operation Crocodile Smile', the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate is also serving a notice on the commencement of our 'Operation Crocodile Tears.' It shall from now on be an eye for an eye; for every military atrocity carried out in the creeks and hinterland of the Niger Delta, the Nigerian armed forces will have the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate to contend with.

“To this end, we are alerting all those working in the UQCC/UPS Erhomukokwarien in Ughelli, Eriemu Pigging Manifold in Agbarha, Otorogun Gas Plant, Olomoro Flow Station, Warri Refinery, Port Harcourt Refinery, Eleme, OB-OB and Obite gas plants in Omoku to evacuate because what is coming to those facilities are beyond what anybody has seen before.

“We do not want innocent blood being spilled, therefore, we advise all indigenes living in the vicinities of the facilities to relocate for the time being.

“The world should, however, note that the bloodbath that is about to commence in our already beaten, battered, squeezed and impoverished homeland, the Niger Delta. It is all the baby of the Nigerian government; they are the people, who are in one breath preaching resolution through dialogue and also breathing bullets and bombs on a troubled, but trusting people.

“Hold the Nigerian President responsible for the genocide that his armed forces is about to unleash on our people,” Agbalaja stated.