SAN FRANCISCO, May 31, (THEWILL) – Resurgent militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, have denied ever killing one soldier since it launched its offensive against oil installations in the Niger Delta region.
The denial followed reports credited to Chief of Army Staff, (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai that the Avengers have been allegedly killing soldiers in the region.
THEWILL recalls that Buratai had vowed to retaliate the killing of Nigerian soldiers by Niger Delta Avengers whom he labelled criminals.
He was said to have reacted during the inauguration of soldiers’ accommodation and 500 KVA generators, donated by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the 2 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, vowing that the military will return fire for fire.
But the Avengers in a tweet, on Tuesday, disputed the claims of killing of soldiers saying it has not killed one soldier since the onslaught on oil installations saying “if we do, we will claim responsibility for it because we take proud and responsibilities for all that we are doing.”
The group tweeted @NDAvengers; “Chief of Army Staff we not the ones killing your Soldiers STOP LYING.”
The militant group however, did not say specifically, how the 50 soldiers it purportedly tweeted about died.
It berated the COAS for allegedly deploying soldiers without amphibians’ training to the creeks, indicating that the 50 soldiers may have drowned during operations in the creeks.
NDA alleged that if not for the help of local fishermen, the death rate of soldiers who apparently drowned would have been 100 in number.
The militia group alleged that the COAS has been allegedly lying to President Muhammadu Buhari over the death of the soldiers.
Story by Joe Ogbodu.
