Niger Delta Avengers rejects talks with Nigerian govt
The new militant group known as Niger Delta Avengers, that has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on oil and gas installations, has rejected an offer of talks with the Nigerian government.
The group said on Twitter on Wednesday that it would have nothing to do with a committee authorized by the government to hold talks with its members.
“This is to the general public we’re not negotiating with any committee. If Federal Government is discussing with any group they’re doing that on their own,” it said on Twitter.
The minister of state for petroleum, Ibeh Kachikwu, had said on Monday that President Muhammadu Bubari had ordered a two-week cessation of military operations in the area to allow for negotiations.
On Tuesday, the government ordered the immediate withdrawal of troops from Niger Delta communities amid allegations of harassment and indiscriminate arrest of locals.
The Avengers, which previously attacked Chevron, Eni and Shell facilities, says it wants a sovereign state of Niger Delta, and has vowed to reduce Nigeria’s oil production to “zero”.
On Wednesday, the group announced that it had blown up a Chevron well called “RMP 20” located next to Dibbi flow station in the Warri local government area of Delta State at 1 a.m.
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