Niger Delta Avengers guerilla methods a nightmare - Nigerian Military confesses

NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA-JULY 2009-Ateke Tom boys in his camp 9 hidden in the mangrove. (Photo Credit: Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images)

The Nigerian military on Saturday, May 14, 2016, said the guerilla operational method of the Niger Delta Avengers has made arresting them a nightmare to all the security operatives across the country.

Spokesman of the Defense Headquarters, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, told Daily Trust that the militants are faceless and invisible, hence they come out from their hiding, blow up oil facilities and disappear into thin air.

He said several attempts to track them down have met brick wall, consequently the security forces have become handicapped and gone back to the drawing board for more strategies.

“Their activities have given the law enforcement agents a nightmare as several attempts to fish them out met a brick wall.

“In one of their efforts to fish out the faceless and heavily armed marauders who go by the name, Niger Delta Avengers, the Nigerian Army invaded Oporoza community in Gbaramatu Local Government Area of Delta State in search of the group, believed to be operating from the area.

“Again they ended up hitting a brick wall. The soldiers came at 12.30am and laid siege when residents of the oil rich community were asleep. Six hours later, they left the community without catching a fly,” Abubakar said.

He said though President Buhari has given a marching order to the military to crush the militants, the challenge of the army is finding the whereabouts of the avengers so as to execute the order of President Buhari.

The militants recently gave a 11 points demands to the federal government, the fulfillment of which will lead to a cessation of their hostilities in the region. Among the Delta Avenger’s request is the independent Niger Delta Republic.

But the army spokesman said their demands are absurd and unreasonable to the federal government of Nigeria as their demands cannot be met by the government of Nigeria.

The Nigerian army’s challenge is further compounded with the denial of all former militant leaders of knowledge of the group who many have seen as being more dangerous than the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents.

-The Trent