Niger Delta Avengers agrees to conditional ceasefire

Militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, has agreed
to a conditional ceasefire in the Niger Delta region.
The rampaging group which has claimed responsibility
for several attacks on oil installations in the region,
took the decision following plea by monarchs and
leaders of the region, who asked them on Friday, to
stop further hostilities.
The monarchs and elders of the region who made the
plea during a stakeholders meeting on Warri, Delta
State, said the call for ceasefire was to allow them
negotiate with the Federal Government genuinely.
Disclosing the group’s affirmation to temporary
ceasefire, spokesperson of Avengers, self-styled
Brigadier Gen, Mudoch Agbinibo, however, said the
group will continue to observe, adding that it will
continue its fight if the negotiation fails, Vanguard
reports.
Agbinibo said, “The struggle has always been a pan-
Niger Delta one. We also know the anti-Niger Delta
elements are using some disorganised characters from
the region to scuttle the efforts to restore the essence
of our humanity: Resource control and self-
determination.
“But we promise to fight more for the Niger Delta, if this
opportunity fails. Therefore, we will give our Niger Delta
elders and genuine stakeholders that tacit support to go
to the dialogue table with government and the
multinational oil corporations whenever the enabling
environment prevails.
“We are going to support any collective/negotiation
team emerging from Chief (Dr.) Papa Edwin Kiagbodo
Clark, Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders’
conference to engage the Federal Government of
Nigeria.
“Most of the frameworks and objectives are clearly
stated in various reports, declarations and
recommendations of the likes of the Sir Henry Willinks
minority rights reports of pre-independence Nigeria
(1957-8), The Kaiama Declaration document, The
General Alexander Ogomudia report, The Leedum Mittee
headed, Niger Delta Technical Committee report and
restructuring to fiscal federalism.
“We have resolved to reject any idea of the peace of our
times; we want the peace with honor this time around!
Our advice to our Niger Delta elders and genuine
stakeholders is that, whenever this inhuman project
called Nigeria and her government is ready for
dialogue/negotiations with them, this mandate should
be treated with that care as driving a vehicle like that of
a truck laden with fire.
“We are going to continue the observation of our
unannounced cessation of hostilities in the Niger Delta
against all interest of the multinational oil corporations.
But we will continuously adopt our asymmetric warfare
during this period if the Nigerian government and the
ruling political APC continues to use security agencies/
agents, formations and politicians to arrest, intimidate,
invade and harass innocent citizens, suspected NDA
members and invade especially Ijaw communities.”