In a statement released on Thursday, the militant groups
lamented that none of the leaders of the northern groups that issued the quit notice
to the people of the South-East living in the North had been arrested.
Signatories to the statement issued in Port Harcourt, under
the aegis of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, are John Duku (Niger Delta
Watchdogs), Ekpo Ekpo (Niger Delta Volunteers), Osarolor Nedam (Niger Delta
Warriors), Okon Etete (Niger Delta Peoples Fighters), and Asukwo Henshaw
(Bakassi Freedom Fighters).
Others are Ibinabo Horsfall (Niger Delta Movement for
Justice), Duke Emmanson (Niger Delta Fighters Network), Inibeghe Adams (Niger
Delta Freedom Mandate), and Ibinabo Tariah (Niger Delta Development Network).
“As a follow-up on our previous press release, a joint
meeting between the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators and youth leaders across
the Niger Delta region held today (Thursday) in Port Harcourt to review the
state of the Nigerian nation and the position of Niger Delta in the Nigerian
state. After hours of deliberation; we hereby resolve as follows:
“All northerners living in the Niger Delta have been given
three-month notice to quit the Niger Delta before October 1, 2017. We still
stand by our previous decisions and we demand the immediate return of the oil
blocs owned by northerners to Niger Delta people.
“All oil and gas companies operating in oil bloc(s)/well(s)
illegally owned by northerners should also vacate such oil
blocs/wells/platforms before October 1, 2017.
“We demand an immediate relocation of the NNPC headquarters
to the Niger Delta and the replacement of the Group Managing Director of the
NNPC with an indigene of the Niger Delta region. All offices/boards/agencies
that have anything to do with oil and gas should be relocated immediately to the
Niger Delta region and all non-Niger Delta directors/staff replaced with Niger
Delta indigenes,” the coalition said.
By Ifreke Inyang
