A Niger Delta advocacy group, the Movement for the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta (MSDND), has raised the alarm over alleged plots to blackmail prominent ex-agitators from the region with accusations of plans to disrupt the existing peace and attack crude oil facilities.
According to the group, the plot targets figures such as High Chief Bibopere Ajube, also known as “Shot At Sight,” King Ateke Tom, the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom in Rivers State, Chief Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, also known as General Boyloaf, and the leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo. The alleged aim is to discredit them before the Federal Government in order to secure oil surveillance contracts.
The Publicity Secretary of the group, Comrade Kelvin Orughoe, issued a statement in Yenagoa, calling on President Bola Tinubu and heads of security agencies to disregard the blackmail plots and investigate those responsible for spreading falsehoods against the prominent ex-agitators.
Comrade Orughoe noted that, since accepting the Federal Government’s Presidential Amnesty deal, most of the targeted ex-agitators have focused on educational and business pursuits within and outside the region.
“Let me remind everyone that the last time threats were made against the nation’s oil assets was in 2016 by the now-defunct Niger Delta Avengers. Those involved in the Niger Delta Avengers are known to Nigerians and the security agencies.
“The Federal Government should investigate the individuals behind the Niger Delta Avengers. They will find that these same individuals are responsible for the current blackmail campaign against law-abiding leaders and citizens from the Niger Delta region.
“These people are using false accusations to hide their misdeeds. The former MEND Secretary-General, Comrade Jude Gbaboyor, has promised to release footage of some of their criminal activities. In desperation, they are now attempting to tarnish the reputations of principled freedom fighters in the region as a means of distraction,” Orughoe added.
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He urged the Federal Government to hold those associated with the Niger Delta Avengers accountable for any security breaches or attacks on oil assets in the region. “No right-thinking Niger Delta leader or youth is interested in undermining the peace in the region.
The Federal Government should review the records and footage related to the Niger Delta Avengers,” he said.
The MSDND also suggested that threats by civil society groups involved in the planned December 2024 protest outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City may have intensified the desperation of those orchestrating the blackmail.
These groups aim to draw the international community’s attention to human rights abuses in the region, allegedly perpetrated by hired surveillance contractors. The blackmail plot, the MSDND stated, appears to be an attempt to divert the Federal Government’s attention from these protests.
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