Avengers Hit Shell's Bonny Crude Oil Export Pipeline In Rivers

The Niger Delta Avengers, which had in August, declared a unilateral ceasefire, said 

on Saturday it had carried out its first attack since it halted hostilities to pursue dialogue with the Federal Government.

The militants, who said they attacked the Bonny crude export line operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) in Rivers State on Friday night, have in previous months launched assaults which have cut crude production, which was 2.1 million barrels per day at the start of the year, by around a third.
In a statement on its website the group said it “brought down oil production activities at the Bonny 48 inches crude oil export line” through its “strike team”.
According to a statement issued on its website, the militants said that its strike team took out the export line at about 8:40pm on Friday, September 23.
Avengers said the action is a signature to “the over dramatization of the so-called dialogue and negotiation process on the side of President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.”
In the statement signed by its spokesperson, Mudoch Agbinibo, the militants said, “since, the cessation of hostilities and the commitment of the Pan-Niger Delta Elders and Stakeholders team, the Nigerian government and her agents are turning the expectations of the Niger Delta to shameful scenes obtainable in Nollywood acts, with intimidations, blackmails and continuous profiling of Niger Delta sons and daughters. This is only a wake-up call; we may not have other way to say it better.”
The Avengers said they were still in favour of the dialogue and negotiations process, but quickly added that, “we are warning against undermining the peace of our time! We want the peace with honour.
“We will resist all actions undermining the ceasefire from the side of the government and its security agents/agencies. The world is watching, time is running against the Nigerian state; while we were promised that the concerns of Niger Delta will be addressed once a truce is declared, the activities of the government and her agents are not assuring enough, there has been no progress and no breakthrough,” the militants noted.
Avengers said they cannot be continuously fooled, adding that the government cannot justify the indiscriminate targeting of Niger Delta youth while glorifying on these victimization of law abiding citizens of the region.
The Avengers, who want a greater share of the OPEC member’s wealth to go to the Niger Delta where most crude is produced, said the attack was a “wake up call” for the government, which it accused of intimidating youth in the region since the ceasefire began.
Earlier this month, the Avengers said there had been no contact with the government since the group agreed to cease hostilities.
But in New York last week, President Muhammadu Buhari accused the nation’s treasury looters for masterminding the rebellion in the Niger Delta region.
It would be recalled that the Niger Delta Avengers, had on Saturday, August 3, announced a ceasefire, saying that they were ready for peace talks with the Federal Government.
In a statement in its website in August, the Avengers’ spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, said they were ready for talks, but added that the talks must include the acknowledged Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark.
The ceasefire appeared to have followed the appeals by Ijaw leaders who finally met to prevail on the militants to ward off the escalation of military action.
He said that, “In the interim, attacks on oil and gas installations will stop.
“We are going to continue the observation of our unannounced cessation of hostilities in the Niger Delta against all interest of the multinational oil corporations.
“But we will continuously adopt our asymmetric warfare during this period if, the Nigerian government and the ruling political All Progressives Congress (APC), continues to use security agencies, formations and politicians to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens, suspected NDA members and invade, especially Ijaw communities.”
According to their spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, the Avengers’ decision was in support of any collective negotiation involving their elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark.
The militants support a negotiation with the government to be led by Clark and with representatives from the home countries of all multinational oil corporations and neutral international mediators.
They insisted that the talks should be focused on achieving the short, medium and long term frameworks and objectives to de-escalating conflicts in the Niger Delta.
Agbinibo said that, “Most of the frameworks and objectives are clearly stated in various reports, declarations and recommendations of the likes of the Sir. Henry Willinks minority rights reports of pre-independence Nigeria (1957-8).
“Others are the Kaiama Declaration document, the General Alexander Ogomudia report, the Ledum Mitee-headed Niger Delta Technical Committee report, and restructuring to fiscal federalism.”
The Avengers said that the struggle has always been a Pan-Niger Delta one, but that the anti-Niger Delta elements were using some disorganized characters from the region to “scuttle all effort to restore the essence of our humanity; resource control and self-determination”.
In the statement on the website, the Avengers said: “We have resolved to reject any idea of the peace of our times; we want the peace with honour this time around.
”Our advice to our Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders is that, whenever this inhuman project called Nigeria and her government is ready for dialogue/negotiations with them, this mandate should be treated with that care as driving a vehicle like that of a truck-laden with fire.”
Here is the full statement issued by Mudoch Agbinibo and titled, The Pan-Niger Delta Struggle:
“The struggle has always being a Pan-Niger Delta one, we only know the anti Niger Delta elements are using some disorganized characters from the region to scuttle all effort to restore the essence of our humanity; resources control and self-determination.
“We are going to support any collective/negotiation team emerging from the Chief (Dr) Papa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark’s Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders conference to engage with the Federal Government of Nigeria, representatives from the home countries of all multinational oil corporations and neutral international mediators that will be focused on achieving the short, medium and long term frameworks and objectives to de-escalating conflicts in the Niger Delta.
“Most of the frameworks and objectives are clearly stated in various reports, declarations and recommendations of the likes of the Sir Henry Willinks minority rights reports of pre-independence Nigeria (1957-8), the Kaiama Declaration document, the General Alexander Ogomudia report, the Ledum Mitee-headed Niger Delta Technical Committee report, and restructuring to fiscal federalism.
“We have resolved to reject any idea of the peace of our times; we want the peace with honour this time around! Our advice to our Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders is that, whenever this inhuman project called Nigeria and her government is ready for dialogue/negotiations with them, this mandate should be treated with that care as driving a vehicle like that of a truck laden with fire.
“We are going to continue the observation of our unannounced cessation of hostilities in the Niger Delta against all interest of the multinational oil corporations, but we will continuously adopt our asymmetric warfare during this period if, the Nigerian government and the ruling political APC continues to use security agencies/agents, formations and politicians to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens, suspected NDA members and invade, especially Ijaw communities.
“We promise to fight more for the Niger Delta, if this opportunity fails. Therefore, we will give our Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders that tacit support to the dialogue table with the government and the multinational oil corporations whenever the enabling environment prevails.
“We also use this medium to warn those using rogue platforms like the defunct so-called MEND, RNDA- Cynthia Whyte, especially Charles Okah, who is franchising these internet-based banditry from his prison cell, through Victor Ebikabowei Ben (Boyloaf), Timipre Silva, Selekaye Ebikabowei, Ayirimi Emani, Michael Johnny, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, to please inform those their paymasters that the days of doom are here. That those who sold and bought up interests from around the corridors of power cannot arm-twist the NDA with bandits, drug addicts, illegal bunkerers, bank robbers and disorganized characters to derail the Niger Delta struggle.”
The Avengers announced their emergence in May, 2016, with the bombing of oil installations belonging to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other multinational corporations, particularly Chevron facilities in Delta State.
The militants’ assaults had cut crude production, which was 2.1 million barrels per day at the start of the year, by around a third.
The main agenda of the group was to cripple the nation’s economy to force President Muhammadu Buhari to agree for the secession of Niger Delta people or for comprehensive restructure of the country.
A splinter group, Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA), emerged late in July, asking the Avengers to stop destroying the region.
Later, another splinter group, the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) emerged, rejecting any ceasefire, lampooning the Avengers and also warning the Federal Government not to negotiate with any team led by Clark, accusing the former federal information commissioner of leading only a section of Niger Delta region.