The warning came on the day the Niger Delta Avengers blew up a key crude oil pipeline, belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Agip Eni, in Bayesla State
The JNDLF in a statement by the Commander, General Duties, JNDLF, General Akotebe Darikoro, and three others said: “We shall continue to engage in dialogue if our demands are met. Our representatives for the dialogue, especially the governors and others will not betray our demands with the Federal Government.
Any betrayal on their own part shall be viewed as betrayal of the entire region and we shall go after them immediately as they know our mode of operation in which they will not escape from us.”
The group, which had threaten to up the insurgency further by firing off missiles, also explained why it failed to carry out its much publicised threat: “There is no gainsaying that we made our earlier promise to launch six Missiles simultaneously against some targeted areas. But this was waved aside as a result of appeals made to us through email by the Federal Government and some international nations to open talks with (President) Buhari.”
“We saw some genuine aspiration on the part of Buhari, who made several contacts to us to see reason with them over the issue of under-development of the region. And since he (Buhari) had set the ball rolling for a clear negotiation with us, there is no problem without solution.
We have therefore declared ceasefire in order to negotiate with the government if it is a true reflection of what they have in mind to develop the Niger Delta region”.
Towing the line of the Avengers, the group added: “We are not ready to negotiate with the Federal Government for the sake of monetary benefit to us but how genuinely the government will develop the region is at the centre of our discussion and anything less than that we will continue our struggle without further warning to the Federal Government.”
However, in order to put an end to further attacks the group gave conditions the government must meet which include: “immediate release of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and Dr. Nnamdi Kanu, whose release was ordered by the court severally,” pointing out that “their continued detention was unconstitutional and against the tenet of our nascent democracy in the country”.
JNDLF also demanded that: “the government must direct EFCC to defreeze the bank accounts of ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, (a.k.a. Tompolo).”
Other demands include: “The only Nigerian Maritime University sited in the most appropriate and befitting place – Okerenkoko in Delta State, must start the 2015/2016 academic session immediately.
“The immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference report, failure of which Nigeria will forcefully break-up.
“Oil-polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up, while compensation should be paid to all oil-producing communities, e.g. Chevron fire outbreak of gas explosion in Koluama, Bayelsa state and Bonga Oil Spill in 2011. “Removal of Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd) as an Amnesty Coordinator who does not understand the programmes and policies of the Amnesty and does not know us to the grassroots.”
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