According to source, Reformed Egbesu Boys and MEND are not in support of the Niger Delta Avenger's activities. According to information gathered, Reformed Egbesu Boys of Niger Delta, unilaterally declared cessation of hostilities yesterday while MEND, last night, raised a seven-man provisional team, tagged Aaron Team 2, to negotiate with the Federal Government while aking the Niger Delta Avengers to drop its defiant posture and embrace dialogue.
This came as traditional rulers from Niger Delta, under the aegis of the South-South Monarchs Forum, have scheduled a meeting in Uyo next week to discuss ways of finding solutions to the increasing spate of destruction of oil and gas assets in the region.
Reformed Egbesu demands For peace to hold way, it tabled seven demands before government, including commencement of academic activities at the Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State and restructuring of the Amnesty programme with upward review of funding to accommodate more beneficiaries. They also frown at some of the demands contained in the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Forces as published in the mass media and the Avengers. In quote, they made it clear that “The Niger Delta agitation is not about persons as portrayed in the said publication. The Ijaw agitation has always been issues of resource control and true federalism and inequality where our farmlands have been divided into oil blocks among Nigerians to the exclusion of the Ijaws. “Therefore, the legitimate agitation of the Ijaw ethnic nationality has nothing to do with Sambo Dasuki and Nnamdi Kanu, though we sympathize with them.”
Meanwhile, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has constituted ‘Aaron Team 2’ to dialogue with the Federal Government on the immediate, medium and long-term future of the Niger Delta.”
According to MEND, "The Niger Delta struggle is beyond attacks on oil installations. Indeed, prior to the MEND ceasefire, the group had, among numerous daring attacks, on Thursday, June 19, 2008, successfully carried out the spectacular attack on Royal Dutch Shell’s offshore Bonga oilfield which is located at a distance of 120 kilometres (75miles) south-west of the Niger Delta.
“However, with the benevolent benefit of hindsight, the group realized that, after the initial euphoria of each successful attack, the gargantuan problems which confront our region, including environmental pollution and political corruption, increased geometrically.”
The Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, meanwhile, maintained that it was not ready for ceasefire nor ready to be part of the negotiations unless the Federal Government meet their demands.
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