A militant group in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria called the Adaka Boro Avengers, ABA, has explained why it did not go ahead with its earlier threat to declare the region an independent country from Nigeria on Monday, August 1, 2016.
The group disclosed on Sunday that it stopped the declaration due to pleas from prominent Nigerians, including former president Goodluck Jonathan.
ABA claimed apart from Jonathan, Mrs Ankio Briggs, Edwin Clark, King Alfred Diete Spiff and others prevailed on them to stop the secession.
However, the group, in a statement signed by its spokesman, General Edmos Ayayeibo, warned that its decision will not stop its attacks in the region, stressing that its mission to cripple Nigeria’s economy remained on course until the Federal Government agrees to dialogue with its leaders.
“We received calls from prominent leaders like Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Mrs. Ankio Briggs, Chief. E. K. Clark and especially King Alfred Diete Spiff calling on the freedom fighters to abort their mission to declare Niger Delta Republic,” the group pointed in the statement.
“We adhere to the voice of our people, because our struggle is for the Niger Delta people and not for selfish reason. But this is not the end. More is yet to come. Our mission to cripple the economy of the Nigerian nation will not stop until the Nigerian government is ready to sit on a roundtable to dialogue and to restructure the Nigeria,” the group added.
“Unless that, we will not stop until Nigeria becomes a zero economy. We are also saying this for the benefit of President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerian government to stop wasting their time with those greedy fellows that call themselves MEND because nothing good will come out of them rather than sabotage. Those old fools cannot stop us and they know it very well. We know what they are after is all about stipends.
“Everything they are saying, not even one will be accomplished. We will never agree with anything they say and henceforth MEND should watch their back because we have tolerated them for a very long time.
“Enough is enough, since they want to set confusion in the Niger Delta we will start from them,” it further said.
