New militant group charges Avengers to sheath swords

Militants under the aegis of Bakassi Strike Force (BSF) have embarked on a rare show of arms display as they charged the Niger Delta Avengers to drop arms and embrace peace.

Brandishing sophisticated arms at the Esuk Mba Beach in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State, the masked militants clothed in camouflage and singlet equally declared total solidarity with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government saying a round table negotiation was the way forward and not violence.

Speaking with some news men, the leader of group, Mr Simply Benjamin, said they were an indigenous group from Akwa Ibom and Cross River states numbering 642 foot soldiers, adding that even though they have enough weapons for war, they believed that peace is the best option.

Benjamin said: “I wish to appeal to the Niger Delta Avengers that crippling Nigeria’s economy is not the solution to our challenges. It is cheaper to make peace, because war leads to more destruction. Fellow compatriots of the Niger Delta Avengers, please sheath your swords and give peace a chance. I think you have made your point. Hence, you should give government a chance to respond. Enough of the bombings please. Nigeria needs peace now more than ever before.

“The government of the day needs peace to implement its promises.I call on the sponsors of the Niger Delta Avengers to have a rethink of their actions. I also appeal to the Nigerian security agencies to please tread softly as two wrongs cannot make a right. Let us adopt the approach of the American Ambassador to Nigeria who implored us to use dialogue, as war alone cannot solve our problem. As you can see, I have enough weapons to go to war, yet I believe war is not the solution.I also appeal to all Niger Delta ex-militant leaders to support the Federal
Government to change Nigeria”.

Narrating the genesis of the group, Benjamin said: “You will agree with me that Akwa Ibom and Cross River states are part of the Niger Delta, yet we have been completely sidelined from the amnesty scheme and other empowerment programmes created for youths of the Niger Delta.