Niger Delta Agitators Threaten To Shut Down Oil Installations

…Warn Against Use Of Courts To Stop Rivers’ LG Allocation

PORT HARCOURT – A powerful grassroots group of freedom fighters and liberation ambassadors in the Niger Delta have threatened to shut down oil facilities if the courts order the seizure of allocations meant for the 23 local government councils in Rivers State.

The group, Niger Delta De­velopment Force (NDDF), that gave the warning at the week­end, threatened to bomb and shut down oil facilities and in­stallations in the region should any judge, anywhere in the country, particularly in Abuja, stops revenue allocations to the 23 LGAs with democratically elected officials in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court.

They also warned the Feder­al Government not to resurrect the restiveness, agitations and militancy former Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Good­luck Jonathan fought so hard to end through the amnesty programme.

Spokesman of the group, Jus­tin Alabraba, told newsmen on Sunday, that any judgment from any court in Abuja on Monday or any other day, that denies lo­cal governments in Rivers State their statutory allocations will be met with heavy and devastat­ing destruction of strategic oil installations across the region.

Alabraba said, “Let them try it on Monday or any other day, and see what will happen. We will shut down major oil pipelines and production in­stallations, and it will be the beginning of the worst to come. Nyesom Wike cannot be using Tinubu’s powers to cause prob­lems in Rivers State without any consequences”.

He said that leaders of the region have been raising the alarm and cautioning Wike’s enablers to rein in on him to halt the assault on the state and the government of Sir Siminalayi Fubara, warning that those wise counsel appear to be falling on deaf ears.

Alabraba reminded Presi­dent Tinubu that any attempt to destabilise Rivers State will spiral into serious destabilisa­tion of the entire Niger Delta, saying that Rivers State is the headquarters of the region.

He warned that crude oil and gas production in the region will suffer unprecedented suffoca­tion if any untoward judgment is delivered against Rivers State or any part thereof, cautioning judges being to be mindful of the consequences of their actions.

The group said that they can no longer watch as FCT Min­ister, Nyesom Wike, terrorise the state, using federal might and his relationship with Abu­ja-based judges to procure judg­ments designed to undermine Governor Fubara, the govern­ment and people of the state.

According to the group, reli­able sources indicate that Jus­tice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, is allegedly set to deliver judgment today to stop the statutory allo­cations to LGAs in Rivers State.