At the peak of the attacks, production
dropped to 1.4 million barrels per day, bpd, against a budgeted 2.2
million bpd. Production had risen to 1.9 bpd before the renewed attacks.
Announcing the end to their hostilities,
the Avengers in a letter posted on its website by its Spokesman, Mudoch
Agbinibo, and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, stated that it
has halted its militant activities.
The Militant group also spoke of the need for regular dialogue to take place for the Nigerian union to survive.
Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina, in
a statement, welcomed the cessation of hostilities by the Avengers as
“a good development, which is in the interest of the country, and
especially the Niger Delta people”.
He said “anything that portends peace is always good,” adding that, “we hope that it cuts across board and it is sincere”.
The Avengers alleged that the Federal
Government was out to execute a predetermined genocide against the
people of the Niger Delta, through the recently launched Operation
Crocodile Smile, which the military high command has explained as just a
training drill designed to prepare the Amphibious Division for a better
mastery of the Niger Delta terrain.
The militants also observed that the
Nigerian system would work better, if the Federal Government learns from
the developed democracies, to allow internal protests and conflicts
aimed at the greater good of the nation.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari,
to put away the garb of a stooge to the imperialists, whenever he speaks
outside Nigeria. We have listened carefully and halted hostilities in
the Niger Delta. We expect a genuine and positive attitude to
restructuring and self-determination for every component unit of
Nigeria. Dear president, what makes those countries (Japan, Germany,
France, USA, Britain etc.) great, is the ability of their governments to
accommodate internal protestations and conflicts, for the greater good
of their nations over the years.
“Nigeria is not a one-man personal
property. We must have these talks every time, if this union must
continue to work as one. The people of the Niger Delta have been living
here from time immemorial, so we have the secret of the terrain and
survival of amphibious operations.
“No amount of troop surge and simulation
exercises will make you win the oil war; you can only win battles. You
cannot apply the might of the State to restore the people’s confidence
in your leadership, when you cannot differentiate between genuine
demands and being mismanaged by disorganised characters and tribal lords
around you in your government that are playing the court jesters’ role,
as well as counting the days that are left in your four years term.
“You can deceive the whole world, but we
cannot be deceived by the so glamorized ongoing military operations in
the creeks of Ijaw communities in the Delta coded “ Operation Crocodile
Smiles”… the world should know that with your pronouncement in Kenya,
and your attitude to the military build-up in the Niger Delta, it is
crystal clear that the military has nothing less than a pre-determined
genocide in Niger Delta, and burn more already scared national resources
to the pockets of those that have failed to locate the missing Chibok
School Girls.
“Please also tell those foreign nations,
that your troops are about carrying out extrajudicial killings in the
Niger Delta, in violation of Article Four of the Geneva Convention
with “OPERATION CROCODILE SMILE”. All sane minds know the meaning of “
CROCRODILE TEARS”, so by code-naming your military operation CROCODILE
SMILES, only betrays your motives and attitude to the whole world about
the Niger Delta question”.
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