Bakassi Militants Send Strong Warning to Niger Delta Avengers to Stop Blowing Oil Pipeline

A group of militants in Akwa-Cross region under the aegis of Bakassi Strike Force has called on the federal government to listen to the agitations of the Niger Delta Avengers.The Bakassi militant group condemned the incessant bombings of oil pipelines in the oil rich Niger Delta region by the Avengers, Channels TV reports. Speaking at Esuk Mba, in Akpabuyo local government area of Cross River state, Simple Benjamin, the leader of the group, advised the government to adopt the approach of the American Ambassador to Nigeria who is an advocate for dialogue as war alone cannot solve their problems in tackling the issue.
He explained that there was no struggle without a reason, and the Avengers had their reasons for attacking oil facilities in the region. Mba however, said they were not in support of the militants activities, asking them to stop the attacks as it was no the solution to their grievances. “It is cheaper to make peace as war leads to more destruction. Fellow compatriots of the Niger Delta Avengers Please sheathe your sword and give peace a chance. I think you have made your point, hence you should give government chance to respond. Enough of the bombings, please. I call on the sponsors of the Niger Delta Avengers to have a rethink of their actions. I also appeal to security agencies to thread softly as two wrongs don’t make a right,” he said.
 The leader of the Bakassi militant group noted that the attacks had a retrogressive effect on Nigeria’s economy. There has been continued tension in the Niger Delta region following a resurgence of militancy in the area. The Niger Delta Avengers blow up oil and gas facilities in the region almost on a daily basis and they have vowed to continue until their demands are met by the federal government. One of its latest attacks was this morning, June 10, when it claimed to have bombed the Obi Obi Brass Trunk line belonging to Agip ENI. On Thursday, an explosion rocked a pipeline operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) at Sanomi Creek, in Warri, Delta state, but nobody has claimed responsibility for the blast. On Wednesday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) announced that it lost N20 billion in just one month following attacks on pipelines by the Niger Delta Avengers as well as other reasons.