Encomium
Without doubt, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) militant group is out with a singular focus of destroying Nigeria’s economic survival. Their refusal to negotiate on reasonable terms, their massive destructive acts and the anti-government movement promoted on their social media platforms speak volume.
The NDA militant group had on Monday, June 7, 2016, threatened to release six missiles extending outside the Niger Delta Region as far as Aso Rock till their impact is across the nation.
In a release by the group last month, fifteen locations were listed as their targets including State House Villa (Abuja), Defence Headquarters, DSS Headquarters, Police Headquarters, National Assembly, NNPC Towers, Central Bank Of Nigeria, Supreme Court/Appeal Court, Agip Headquarters (Abuja), Shell Headquarters (Lagos), Chevron Headquarters (Lagos), Exxon Mobil (Lagos), NLNG (Lagos and Abuja Offices)band Kaduna Refinery.
They also “resolved that the Nigerian Communication Satellite Orbit (would) be shut down so that it will avoid the cause of electronic radiation to human lives.
However, there is more to the group’s clamour of expressing anger against the attitude of the Federal Government of Nigeria towards the people of the Niger Delta region concerning environmental degradation and environmental pollution over the years.
The militant group once gave the government a conditional acceptance to conduct peace talks with the Federal Government of Nigeria. However, their actions do not speak same.
Out of the 14 attacks the group claimed to have made, here is a list of some of them:
- On February 10, 2016, blew up the Bonny Soku Export Gas line attack. Also claimed responsibility for previous attacks; the Agip Brass crude oil pipelines in Bayelsa State, Escravos-Warri crude oil pipeline, Escravos-Lagos- Abuja gas pipeline, Alero Dibi Abiteye crude oil pipeline and also, the Escravos -Abiteye gas line.
- On February 13, 2016, they blew up a major export line being operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
- On February 19, 2016, blew up the Clough Creek Tebidaba Agip Pipeline Manifold in Bayelsa State.
- On May 4, 2016, blew up the Chevron valve platform, connecting point linking other platforms and fulcrum to Chevron’s Blow Out Preventer (BOP) and the Chevron tank farm.
- On May 5, 2016, struck at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) crude and gas lines and the Well D25 in Abiteye belonging to Chevron.
- On May 21, 2016, blew up Nembe 1, 2 and 3 Brass to Bonny Trunk Line belonging to Agip and Shell.
- On May 31, 2016 blew up Chevron Oil Well RMP 23 and RMP 24.
- On June 2, 2016, blew up the Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and Clough Creek to Tebidaba Crude Oil pipelines in Bayelsa State.
- On June 2, 2016, blew up the SPDC forcados 48.
- On June 3, 2016, blew up the Obi Obi Brass Trunk line belonging to Agip ENI.
- On June 16, 2016, attacked the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline in Oruk Anam Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom.
Seyifunmi Adebote for encomium.ng
