Niger Delta militants call off ceasefire saying building of refinery in Katsina is the last straw

TWO militant groups in the Niger have announced that they are ending their seven month ceasefire entered into with the federal government saying that the Buhari administration has reneged on the agreements both sides entered into.

Following President Muhammadu Buhari's assumption of office in 2015, Niger Delta militants stepped up their campaign against the federal government, claiming they were being neglected and previous agreements were dumped. After Nigeria's oil output dropped dramatically, the government decided to enter into dialogue with the militants and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (Pandef) brokered a ceasefire agreement.

However, yesterday, the militants signalled a return to hostilities, declaring Operation No Mercy and Destiny Takeover of God-given Resources. Under the auspices of 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience, led by self-styled General W O I Izon Ebi, the militants blamed the federal government for the new turn of events.

According to the militants, the government has refused to implement agreements reached with the region’s representatives, including the 16-piont agenda put forward by Pandef. Among other things, the militants are irked by what they describe as the provocative plan to build a $2bn Refinery in President Buhari's Katsina State with money from the Niger Delta.

General Ebi said: “The establishment of a refinery that will be refining Niger Republic oil without our refineries working, marks the end of oil exploration in the Niger Delta. We shall fight with the last drop of our blood to have a 100% control of our God-given resources.”

Last week, the militants said their members were still mourning the massacre of innocent souls in Plateau and other states of the country but warned the federal government to stop overstretching the patience of Niger Deltans. Calling on Pandef not to intercede this time around, they said they will not hold back against anyone who stands in their way.

 “We, therefore, end our mourning grace and call off our ceasefire and declare Operation No Mercy and Destiny Takeover of our God- given Resources, since the federal government has just demonstrated that all they need is the oil from our region with total neglect for our wellbeing and survival as a people. We’ll go after them," General Ebi added.

Major Ibrahim Abdullahi, a spokesman for the military Joint Task Force, said, however: “Our mandate in the Niger Delta is clear, to protect oil and gas infrastructure. Whoever comes against our mandate, we will go after him and we will not look back.”