Avengers vow to declare Niger Delta independence October 1

NIGER Delta Avengers have vowed to declare the Niger Delta region an independent entity on October 1.

On Wednesday, Ballantyne Agiri, “spokesman” for the dialogue group of the Avengers, had indicated the readiness of the group to engage the Federal Government in dialogue, in order to resolve the lingering crisis.

However, Mudoch Agbinibo, spokesman of the Avengers, denied the report, while saying that “Ballantyne Agiri” was not authorised to speak for the militant group.

In a statement released on the website of the Avengers on Thursday, Agbinibo maintained that the Niger Delta no longer wanted to be part of Nigeria.

“Our prayer for Buhari and the northern governors is that oil should be found in commercial quantity in the North, so they can let the Niger Delta go.

“The October 1 declaration of independence is still sacrosanct,” the statement read.

A similar statement released by the Avengers in May 2016 had said that “by October 2016, we will display our currency, flag, passport, our ruling council and our territory to the world.

“To the United Nations, we are not asking for much but to free the people of the Niger Delta from environmental pollution, slavery, and oppression. We want a country that will turn the creeks of the Niger delta to a tourism heaven, a country that will achieve its full potentials, a country that will make health care system accessible by everyone.”