‘Federal Government must be ready to dialogue with other ethnic militias’

The National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE- Arising from a well- attended meeting of prominent ex-agitators of Urhobo extraction recently in Ughelli, the headquarters of Ughelli North LGA ‎in Delta state, the President, NCNDE-A, Israel Akpodoro, has warned that should the Federal Government engage Avengers who are flying the name of the entire region in crimes and criminality in dialogue it must be ready to dialogue with other ethnic militias that may surge as a result of what he described as the on-going PDP orchestrated dialogue with its military arm – Avengers.

Corroborating the position of an Urhobo-born elder statesman and former Secretary – General, National Union of Petroleum Employees and Natural Gas, Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, who fired similar warning against dialogue with Ijaw youths who he described as criminals, Akpodoro said the Ughelli meeting was borne out of national solidarity and loyalty to the APC-led government on the heels of threats by Utorogun Liberation Movement to blow up the biggest gas plant in West Africa, Utorogun gas plant in Udu and Ughelli South local council areas of Delta State.

According to Akpodoro, the Utorogun gas pipeline is the major line suppling gas to nations in the West African sub-region adding that the major causes of the threats by the new militant group of Urhoboland were because the Delta Government spearheaded dialogue with Avengers, delay in the payment of stipends to ex-militants and the marginalisation of the Phase 3, ex-agitators who he said are predominantly Urhobo youth.

He further stressed the imperatives of handling the Avengers like common criminals noting that it will amount to dangerous venture to dialogue with “a bunch of criminals who idle away their productive age making themselves available for the use of the dying PDP as mere thugs who are used for political bargain.”

He noted that the dialogue is a decoy by the PDP to stampede the FG into unconsciously stoking more troubles in the region saying youth of other tribes may be encouraged to take up arms against the FG should the avengers be handled in the manner the FG is going.

The Urhobo-born ex-militant leader said the second reason for the threats by Urhobo youths was the delay in the payment of the monthly stipends to ex-militants who he said their lives depends on the little money paid by the office of the Federal Government Amnesty Program.