Jonathan, Diete-Spiff stopped us from declaring republic –Militants

Militants group, the Adaka Boro Avengers (ADA) yesterday aborted its planned declaration of an independent Niger Delta Republic.

It attributed it to the intervention of former president Goodluck Jonathan and other top Ijaws.

“We received calls from prominent leaders like Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Mrs. Ankio Briggs, Chief. E. K. Clark and especially King Alfred Diete-Spiff calling on the freedom fighters to abort their mission to declare Niger Delta Republic.”

The group however said it “will not stop until the Nigerian government is ready to sit on a round-table to dialogue and to restructure Nigeria.”

There was palpable tension in Bayelsa and Delta states following the presence of military personnel in the region as a result of threat to declare a republic. Armed troops stormed Kaima Community of Kolokuma/Opokuma local government to stop any declaration of an independent region.

Residents of Kaima Community confirmed the movement of troops to the community and said it started on Saturday, July 30 with a stop-and-search operation on vehicles moving along a section of the East-West road.

ADA, in a statement signed by its spokesman, General’ Edmos Ayayeibo had last month, ordered Yorubas and Hausas out of the region and called on Niger Delta people to return for the declaration ahead the August 1 declaration.

But the group said it cancelled the declaration following appeal from leaders from the region.

“We adhered to the voice of our people, because our struggle is for the Niger Delta people and not for selfish reason. But this is not the end. More is yet to come. Our mission to cripple the economy of the Nigerian nation will not stop until the Nigerian government is ready to sit on a roundtable to dialogue and to restructure the Nigeria.

“Unless that, we will not stop until Nigeria becomes a zero economy. We are also saying this for the benefit of President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerian government to stop wasting their time with those greedy fellows that call themselves MEND because nothing good will come out of them rather than sabotage.

“Those old fools cannot stop us and they know it very well. We know what they are after is all about stipends. “Everything they are saying, not even one will be accomplished. We will never agree with anything they say and henceforth MEND should watch their back because we have tolerated them for a very long time.

“Enough is enough, since they want to set confusion in the Niger Delta we will start from them.”

The Niger Delta Republic was first declared by the late Ijaw freedom fighter, Major Isaac Adaka Boro on February 23 1966 at Kaiama before it was crushed by the Federal Government.

Investigations revealed that ABA proposed Kaiama as the headquarters of their proposed republic   because of its significance to the Ijaw.

Aside troops of the Nigerian Army, personnel of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mobile Policemen and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were deployed at strategic locations around Kaiama to stop the declaration.

The Commander of the Operation Delta State (ODS), Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie had declared that the Joint Force was on top of the situation and warned that the military would not abdicate its responsibilities in protecting lives and property in the region.