The Niger Delta Avengers has expressed indifference to the purported plan by the Nigerian government to hire mercenaries from Saudi Arabia to help quell the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta.
An online medium reported yesterday that the Nigerian government had finalized agreement with Saudi authorities – as part of the agreement President Muhammadu Buhari supposedly signed Nigeria up for to be part of the Saudi-led Islamic coalition against terrorism – to deploy Blackwater mercenaries to the Niger Delta, which has witnessed renewed bombing of oil and gas installations by militants in the last five months.
A staff in The Royal Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Nigeria reportedly confirmed the deal, said to be worth $258 million to Vaxity – an academics resource portal.
Blackwater, which carries out off-the-book assignments of this nature for the Saudi Arabian government, is reportedly headed by Anwar Eshki, a retired major general of the Saudi Armed Forces.
There has been no official statement from the Nigerian government denying or confirming the existence of such a deal but it has been reported in the past that South African mercenaries were deployed to fight alongside Nigerian troops in the counter-insurgency operation in the North East.
Reacting to the purported deal, the Avengers said it does not care if the Federal Government hires mercenaries from Saudi Arabia or anywhere to fight them.
Spokesperson of the militant group, self-styled Brig.-Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, said: “The Niger Delta Avengers do not care if the federal government hires or concludes plans to bring in Bluewater, Graywater, Pinkwater, Whitewater or Blackwater mercenaries from Saudi Arabia. It is none of our business, the Saudi Arabia, has its own problem of terrorism, so coming here to help Nigerian government is funny. The Niger Delta region will win this war”.
