In response to the Nigerian military’s recent activities in the region, a Niger Delta militant group blew up the Ogor-Oteri delivery line on Tuesday.
The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM), an Urhobo organization operating in the area, claimed responsibility for the attack in a press release issued on Tuesday. In its statement, the group claimed that it was fighting for justice for the Niger Delta people, while groups aligned with Ijaw leader Edwin Clark were simply in it for the money.
“The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate remains un-derailed in its mission to get justice for the people,” the statement reads. “Those in the field just for the money will quickly rush to align with Pa E.K. Clark’s arrangement because they were, as a matter of fact, created by some people co-traveling with Clark.”
The group maintained that while Mr. Clark is a leader of the Ijaw nation, he cannot claim to speak for all Niger Delta peoples. The militants explained that if negotiations with the federal government are to be fair, all Niger Delta ethnic groups must be represented.
In the statement signed by Aldo Agbalaja, the NDGJM threatened that it would not “sit quietly” while the Nigerian military continues to bombard the region and harm innocent civilians. The group is referring to its defense of the region as “Operation Crocodile Tears,” a response to the Nigerian military’s Niger Delta mission, “Operation Crocodile Smile.”
“It shall from now on be an eye for an eye; for every military atrocity carried out in the creeks and hinterland of the Niger Delta, the Nigerian armed forces will have the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate to contend with,” the statement reads.
The group warned all those working in the region to evacuate, emphasizing that it does not want to harm indigenes.
“To this end, we are alerting all those working in the UQCC/UPS Erhomukokwarien in ughelli, eriemu PIGGING MANIFOLD in Agbarha, OTOROGUN GAS PLANT, OLOMORO FLOW STATION, WARRI REFINERY, PORTHACOURT REFINERY ELEME, OB-OB and OBITE Gas Plants in Omoku to evacuate because what is coming to those facilities are beyond what anybody has seen before [sic],” the militants threatened.
The group concluded its statement by demanding that President Muhammadu Buhari is held responsible for the “genocide” of the Niger Delta people.
