According to the militant group, intelligence reports gathered so far revealed that Mr. Ayiri and Mr. Idahosa allegedly gave the sum of N250 million to the military brigade commander in Benin, Brigadier General Faruk Yahaya, and the Officer Commanding Army Gunboat, JTF, Major M. B. Yahaya, to launch the attack on Gbaramatu Kingdom in the name of looking for members of the group and Tompolo.
Itsekiri youth leader Ayiri Emami and pipeline contractor and chairman of the Oil Marine Services (OMS) Captain Okunbor Idahosa have allegedly bribed the military with the sum of N250 million to raid and ransack Government Ekpemupolo’s (also known as Tompolo) community in Delta State.
The latest accusation against Mr. Idahosa and Mr. Ayiri, who are perceived to be fighting a supremacy battle with Tompolo, was made by the Niger Delta Avengers in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mudoch Agbinibo, and obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday.
According to the militant group, intelligence reports gathered so far revealed that Mr. Ayiri and Mr. Idahosa allegedly gave the sum of N250 million to the military brigade commander in Benin, Brigadier General Faruk Yahaya, and the Officer Commanding Army Gunboat, JTF, Major M. B. Yahaya, to launch the attack on Gbaramatu Kingdom in the name of looking for members of the group and Tompolo.
“The intelligence unit of the Niger Delta Avengers revealed that the Oil Marine Services (OMS), whose Chairman and CEO is Capt. Okunbor Idahosa, also known as Capt. Hosa, is the company the Nigerian government awarded the pipeline surveillance contract to spanning from Escravos to Lokoja. The said Capt. Hosa, in collaboration with Ayiri Emami, bribed the Brigade Commander of Benin, Brig. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, with the Officer Commanding Army Gunboat, JTF, Major M. B. Yahaya with the sum of N250m to destroy Gbaramatu Kingdom in the guise of looking for the Niger Delta Avengers,” the Avengers said in a statement.
"This act of the Nigerian Army to us is the greatest act of cowardice. This fight we believe is against the Avengers and not the innocent villagers of Gbaramatu Kingdom. Where is the International Community and the United Nations when all this unspeakable injustice is served on the people of Gbaramatu Kingdom by the very unprofessional Nigerian Military? Are they not aware of the raping of young girls, looting and destruction of properties by the Nigeria military in Gbaranmatu Kingdom?
"To you, Capt. Hosa, the new pipeline protector: the intelligence unit of the Avengers has your full data, we know where all your assets are located and that most of your businesses are in the Niger Delta. For this single act of injustice against the innocent people of Gbaramatu, you, your wife and entire family will suffer.
"To Major M.B. Yahaya: we are sure you have not seen real combat before. How did you rise to the rank of a Major? This is to show that the Nigerian military is finished if it has to depend on people like you. You are only good at harassing innocent women and children in the name of looking for the Niger Delta Avengers," the statement said.
The Niger Delta Avengers however said that they are not surprised because all members of the Nigerian military are corrupt, according to the group.
"Can anyone tell the difference between Major M.B. Yahaya, Brig. Gen. Faruk Yahaya and Boko Haram? We are asking because we cannot spot any difference. Is the Nigeria military now a hired gun for the rich? Amnesty International should take note of these officers who authorized the harassing of the innocent people of Gbaranmatu. To the international oil companies and indigenous oil companies, it’s going to be bloody this time around. Your facilities and personnel will bear the brunt of our fury, which shall fall upon you like a whirling wind," the Avengers vowed.