A consolidated group of militants, Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF), has alerted President Muhammadu Buhari to alleged schemes by top military officers to overthrow him in a coup d’état.
The militant group, which about two weeks ago threatened to launch six missiles targeted at the Presidential Villa, Abuja and other national assets, said yesterday that persons behind the coup plot were planning to instigate civil unrest in the Niger Delta as part of their strategies to topple the Buhari administration.
The JNDLF made the weighty allegation in an electronic statement on Tuesday.
The statement said already the top military officers involved in the unholy plot approached its leaders with an appeal to continue bombing oil installations in the region, which they would later use as grounds for their takeover of the government.
The statement was signed by persons who identified themselves as ‘General’ Torunanaowei Latei (Creek Network Coordinator); ‘General’ Agbakakuro Owei-Tauro (Pipeline Bleeding Expert); ‘General’ Akotebe Darikoro (Commander, General Duties) and ‘General’ Pulokiri Ebikade (Intelligence Bureau).
The group said: “We are constraint to let the cat out of the bag today that President Muhammadu Buhari should be wary about the security of this country as some military men are making move to remove him from power by instigating civil unrest in the country.
“Some top military men through their civil agents approached us to cause and continue the vandalization of the oil and gas pipelines in the Niger delta region so as to use as an excuse to take over the government from democracy to military rule in the country.
“We said no as such plan will not work and not in conformity with our genuine desire of agitation. The military want to disgrace him now and let him quickly look into the issues and make pronouncement for his administration to be in peace.
“The president should analyze certain memo from the military concerning Niger delta region before taking action or otherwise the military will use that as a platform to remove him. We know the issue of Niger delta is political and we preferred political solution to resolve it but the president refused”.
The group further advised President Buhari to adopt holistic approach in resolving the problems of the Niger Delta.
It also listed the ongoing probes of arms procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces by the Buhari administration as one of the reasons why like minds had gathered to plot the removal of the president, stressing that most officers behind the purported coup plot were above the ranks of major-generals.
“We received several calls unknown to persuade us to continue the bombing and that when succeeded in overthrowing the government we will be placed on a better position, we said capital NO!
“When asked of their names, they are above Major General’s level. They refused to disclose their names but their intonations seem like Yoruba and Hausa. Our agitation is not for selfish interest but for the overall benefit of the Niger delta region.
“We’ll not kidnap any person, kill or hostage taking of any expatriate in the country but will continue our agitation with clear determination to actualize our course in Nigeria.
“We believe their sinister plan because there is ceasefire in the region for dialogue, but since then the attitude and actions of the service chiefs show that such plan could [not] work for them”, it said.
The group also accused the military of invading Ijaw communities in the Niger Delta, harassing, chiefs and women during the period of ceasefire.
It further reiterated its demands for a cessation of hostilities, which include the immediate release of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) and IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Others are directing the EFCC to defreeze the bank accounts of ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a. Tompolo; resuming the academic sessions of the only Nigerian Maritime University sited in Okerenkoko, Delta State and immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference report.
They also asked the president to clean up all the oil-polluted land in the region and to remove Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd.) as Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
According to the JNDLF, Boroh should be replaced with Dr. Felix Tuodolo, who it said had been in the struggle of non-violence since 1980 and the originator of the Amnesty Programme.
