The Coalition of Niger Delta Militants has vowed to resume its “operation show no mercy” on oil installations in the region.
This came 24 hours after the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, announced that it had decided to resume hostilities in the oil rich region.
A statement on Saturday by John Duku, the coalition leader, said the decision to resume attack on oil facilities was “because the Federal Government does not have the interest of the Niger Delta at heart.”
The militants wondered why Nigerian Government used funds that would have been used to develop the Niger Delta, to finance Operation Crocodile Smile at a time the region was peaceful.
He said: “All the militants groups in the Niger Delta met today (Saturday ) and we have issued a directive that we should go back to our different states, to do everything possible to cripple all the (oil) installations.
“We are going to resume attacks and this time around, it is not going to be business as usual. We have already agreed that when we move in, it will be ‘Operation No Mercy.’
“Anything we find on our way, there would be no option but to crush it. It is not only the installations; we are also going to shut down the offices of each of the oil companies.
“It is high time the Niger Delta people worked together and declared a Niger Delta Republic. We will be on our own and manage our resources.
“We had already embraced peace. We had already announced ceasefire before the Operation Crocodile Smile came.
“The exercise (Operation Crocodile Smile) was done in collaboration with top oil firm directors. The Operation Crocodile Smile was unnecessary because, there was no crisis in the Niger Delta.
“But because we insisted the oil companies should relocate their headquarters to Niger Delta before October, the oil companies connived with the cabal in government and they brought the Nigerian Army to the Niger Delta to intimidate us.
“The directive on the relocation of oil companies’ headquarters came from the Vice-President, but they (oil companies) refused to relocate.
“Government should have used the money spent on Operation Crocodile Smile for the development of Niger Delta.”
