Army rules out talks with militants; as NDA vows to continue militancy

Despite the spate of violent attacks on crude oil installations across the country by militants, the Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has ruled out negotiations with the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), and other groups in the country arguing that the government’s strategy is ‘to first smoke them out of hiding.’
This is also as the militant group in the Niger Delta region, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) vowed to continue its activities which threatened the a 100 per cent shut in of the country’s crude oil export.
Gen. Buratai spoke in Abuja, Tuesday, at the “state of the nation conference” organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Gen. Buratai, who was represented by Major General J. Hamakim, justified the ongoing onslaught against members of the NDA.
“I quite agree that dialogue is very important. But where it is not too obvious that the adversary is ready to come out and talk, you can also force such a person.
“I think that is what the Nigeria Army is trying to do. Yes, we don’t know the group’s leader, for now; that is the only option, possibly we have to bring the people out to know who you can dialogue with.”
He said the activities of the group were affecting oil production as the nation’s production had recently further plummeted to 1.1 million barrels per day.
He debunked the allegation that soldiers who were involved in the operations in Gbaramatu were killing innocent residents and raped women.
“We have done our investigation and nothing like that is happening,” he said.
He also said the demonstrations by Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) leading to a clash between the protesters and security forces in Onitsha on Monday, were not peaceful.
“Remember that lives were lost, policemen were killed, some were thrown overboard and the military has rules of engagement.
“The question is how peaceful is the peaceful demonstration. How peaceful was the demonstration at that time? If it was that peaceful, how come we lost security agencies.
“The rule of engagement is that if you feel threatened, you have the mandate to respond. What we can say is, that was not at all a demonstration that you can say was peaceful.”
He regretted that other security agencies in the country had been “overwhelmed”, a situation which he said had necessitated the Army to move “from the last line of defence to the first line of defence”.
Gen. Buratai noted that other security agencies had been “overwhelmed”, a situation he attributed to the constant involvement of the army in most security operations.
He said the Armed Forces, which ordinarily were the last line of defence, are now engaged as the first line of defence because other security agencies have been overstretched.
The Chief of Army Staff said the army is executing three operations – Lafiya Dole (against Boko Haram in the Northeast); Sharandaji (against cattle rustlers) and Pulo Shield (against Niger Delta Avengers).
Meanwhile, militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, said yesterday that in spite of the federal government’s deployment of fighter jets and the military in Delta State, it would not relent in its violent attacks on critical oil installations in the region.
The group, which said the heavy presence of the military would not stop them from their planned action that would shock the whole world, noted that Gbaramatu, now under military siege, was just one kingdom out the several Ijaw kingdoms spread across seven states.
“It is not our business what goes on in Gbaramatu Kingdom but our concern is the innocent children, women and aged people whom the Nigerian military has chased away from their homes now taking refuge in the forest,” the group said in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Brig-Gen Mudoch Agbinibo.
It alleged that some people (names withheld) benefitting from contracts for pipeline surveillance were behind the military invasion of Gbaramatu Kingdom in the guise of looking for the Niger Delta Avengers.
“The question is, why the innocent people of Gbaramatu, why the innocent pregnant women, why unleash terror on the aged people of Gbaramatu? Must you waste all these innocent blood just to secure the pipeline surveillance job?”
The militant group berated the International Community and the United Nations for looking the other way while the military occupied the kingdom.