Stop begging, start dialogue, militants tell Buhari

On June 27, 20161:22 am

Bello Oboko joins call for referendum

Ijaw not involved in Ogun, Lagos attacks by militants — IYC

By Emma Amaize, Egufe Yafugborhi & Perez Brisibe

WARRI—NIGER-DELTA Sea Commandos, NDSC, a militant group, in the Niger Delta, yesterday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to discontinue his pretentious plea to militants to cease bombing oil and gas facilities and commence dialogue with stakeholders to avert looming disaster.

Spokesperson of the group, self-styled Major Osama Blatter, in a statement, said: “As members of Sea Commandos, we cannot take Buhari’s plea serious and we are running out of patience. The issue is when he will start his dialogue.”



This came as Niger Delta activist, Chief  Bello Oboko, threw his weight behind the call on President Buhari to emulate the Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron, by ordering a referendum to find out what Nigerians want.

The Sea Commandos asked: “When will Nigeria grant Niger Delta autonomous state? Buhari should not play politics with Niger Delta’s demands. If he plays with us, we will ground his government. Delay is dangerous. We are not interested in any plea.

“Who told Buhari that Nigerians do not have other country than Nigeria? Niger Deltans are not part of Nigeria he is referring to because we belong to Niger Delta Republic.

“Buhari should lead the negotiation team, we want him in the creeks, Buhari should not expect our oil to stabilize Nigerians economy, that is a thing of the past. Since he came back, we have not heard anything from him about the expired two-week ceasefire, he has not announced any extension, which is why we say that he is pretending.  We are warning that we can no longer wait, we will commence attack any moment from now,” it added.

Oboko backs referendum

Meanwhile, Ijaw leader, Dr Oboko, in a statement, said: “This is to appreciate Buhari on his commendation to the British Prime Minister David Cameron on the occasion of United Kingdom, voting to leave European Union, democratically without necessarily applying British Jumbo fighter jets last seen put to use in Libya.

“Referendum to peacefully re-make Nigeria like EU is most attractive, recommendable to redressing the Niger Delta national challenge.

“This is, therefore, to appeal to President Buhari to replicate the British example against military option by adopting the in-out voting democracy to peacefully fix the Niger Delta national challenge at last,” Oboko said.

Buhari should develop N-Delta, says Meinbutus

In a related development, the Amananaowei of Meinbutus, King Jerry Prebor, has asked President Buhari to, as matter of necessity, “roll out the bulldozers and caterpillars to start construction of riverine road and train network in the Niger Delta region.

“He should also commence implementation of the 2014 National Confab report. Mr. President should see himself as President of Nigeria and as such, do what is right to put Nigeria on the world map,” Prebor added.

IYC condemns attacks in Lagos, Ogun

In addition, the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, has disassociated Ijaw people from the attacks and killing of innocent Nigerians in Lagos and Ogun states by criminal elements, describing the killings as “purely criminal.”

In a statement, yesterday, IYC spokesperson, Mr. Eric Omare, said: “We state clearly that the persons carrying out these criminal attacks are not Ijaw people and it is absolutely wrong  to refer to them as Ijaw militants. The sensational headlines and impression been created is that it is Ijaw people or groups that are carrying out organized attacks and killing of people in some Lagos and Ogun communities.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/06/stop-begging-start-dialogue-militants-tell-buhari/