SAN FRANCISCO, May 15, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to address issues raised by militants who some days ago renewed attacks on oil and gas installations in Delta State’s oil-rich Niger Delta region.
British Foreign Minister, Philip Hammond, who spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the regional security summit hosted by Buhari in Abuja over the weekend, said a military confrontation with the militants could end in a disaster.
Buhari had ordered the military to arrest members of the Niger Delta Avengers, a new militant group that he and many stakeholders in the region have described as “gang of criminals.” The group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which has reduced Nigeria’s oil production and exports to a record 22-year low (1.6m barrels daily from 2.2 million).
Soldiers over the weekend stormed Gbaramaturu, Delta State, the hometown of fugitive former militant commander, Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) in search of members of the group. The military confirmed the arrest of some suspected militants in a Sunday morning operation.
A Reuters report quoted the Minister as saying: “It’s obviously a major concern.
“The idea that your answer is by moving big chunks of the Nigerian army to the Delta simply doesn’t work,” he said, adding that the army did not have the capacity while fighting Boko Haram jihadists in the north. “It won’t deal with the underlying issues.”
“Buhari has got to show as a president from the north that he is not ignoring the Delta, that he is engaging with the challenges in the Delta.”
