Niger Delta Avengers unveil national currency …as militants blow up Shell, Agip pipelines in Bonny
As promised in its statement on May 12 released on its website, members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) have unveiled the national currency of the Republic of the Niger Delta.
It had earlier warned in the statement that “By October 2016, we will display our Currency, Flag, Passport, our ruling Council and our Territory to the world.”
The group had, in the statement, also vowed to stop at nothing until a sovereign state of the Republic of Niger Delta is actualised.
The republic’s currency, sourced from a Warri-based news media website, has “Bank of Niger Delta” written atop and signed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Niger Delta, one Osi F. Moses.
The one-pound denomination note, numbered AC0092383473, has the photo of Isaac Adaka Boro, the late young, brave Ijaw matyre on it with a cross seal of “Central Bank of the Niger Delta.”
A source said the destruction of the region’s ecosystem and the seeming lackadaisical attitude by the present Federal Government to the plight of the region are some of the reasons for planned secession.
He said the call for secession from the present Nigeria has become absolutely necessary to save Niger Delta communities in the neglected region from gradual extinction.
It will be recalled NDA had, however, in the May 12 statement, warned that it would avenge all evils done against the region by successive government of Nigeria and oil multinationals.
“To international Oil Companies, this is just the beginning and you have not seen anything yet.
“We will make you suffer as you have been made the people of Niger deltans suffered over the years from environmental degradation, and environment pollution,” NDA stated in its statement released on May 12 on its website.
The group had also fulfilled its threat to blow up more oil and gas pipelines if owners of oil blocs and IOCs refused the call to quit the region.
“To owners and operators of these oil blocs in our region the Niger Delta Avengers is giving you two weeks ultimatum to shut down your operations and evacuates your staff.
“If at the end of the ultimatum and you still operating. We will blow up all the locations. It will be bloody. So just shut down your operations and leave.
It disclosed in the statement that its activities had crippled 50 per cent of Nigeria’s economic as of two weeks ago and was aiming at 100 per cent if demands were not met.
Meanwhile, members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), on Saturday, blew up Nembe 1, 2 and 3 Brass to Bonny trunk line belonging to oil giants, Agip and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
The latest incident, coming just 24 hours after an NNPC gas pipeline was bombed near Warri on Friday, occurred at about 2:15a.m on Saturday.
The NDA in its earlier warning on Friday had vowed to shock the whole world soon with its activities and Saturdays blast may just be one of the deadly acts from the arsenal of the militant group.
But while the Saturday economic sabotage was being carried out in Brass, Rivers State, members of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) were busy invading the country home of Tompolo and allegedly harrassing the women and children who scampered for safety in the woods.
This was obviously in search for members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) responsible for the upsurge in vandalism of oil and gas installations in recent times.
Members of the JTF were said to have invaded Gbaramatu kingdom at about 2:00a.m on Saturday, allegedly breaking into houses and beating up everyone in sight.
Distress calls from Comrade David Saturday at the wee hours of Saturday to Tribune Online said the soldiers invaded the community of Tebuzo and Oporoza in five gunboats.
“As I speak now, our women and children are taking refuge in the bush amid dangerous reptiles.
“I’m also speaking to you from the bush because the soldiers are breaking into houses and dragging people out in anger.
“They are around all the corners of the communities harassing our women as I speak now,” Saturday said.
He alleged that students of Gbaragama School, Oporoza, who were sleeping in their hostel, were woken up from their sleep and chased out into the woods by the marauding soldiers.
It was gathered that soldiers numbering about 78 had, a fortnight ago, allegedly invaded the community in 13 military gunboats allegedly in search of the avengers.
They were said to have broken into people’s houses, molesting and harassing men, women and children without saying a word of why they were doing so.
Comrade said if nothing was quickly done to assuage the people by withdrawing the soldiers, youths of the kingdom may be pushed to the wall to fight back.
“They are pushing us to the wall. They are harrassing our women, beating up our students in the hostel.
“Are we the ones blowing up pipelines? Are we the avengers? Buhari should come and withdraw his boys before we defend our land,” he warned.