Tension as Umar warns Buhari not to dare bomb Niger Delta

– Former military governor of Kaduna state Colonel Abubakar Umar has issued a warning to Buhari

– He stated clearly that the proposed military action in the Niger Delta was not the best option

– The former governor also said that the Niger Delta avengers could not be called terrorists

The former military governor of Kaduna state, Colonel Abubakar Umar (retd), on Tuesday, August 30 warned President Buhari against deploying troops and military hardware into  the Niger Delta.

Mallam Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant to the President on media affairs had earlier stated that, President Buhari was quoted to have said that he would treat Niger Delta agitators the same way he dealt with Boko Haram if they failed to negotiate.

Umar said that in his opinion the use of military force deal with the militants especially the Niger Delta Avengers in the Niger Delta, was not the best option.

He first explained that the militants were still amenable to dialogue. And then in a statement entitled, ‘War in the Niger Delta: A most dangerous option,’  he argued that the militants could not be treated like the Boko Haram insurgents  were being treated.

According to Vanguard, Umar explained that Boko Haram had killed over 20,000 Nigerians in the north-eastern part of Nigeria, while the Niger Delta militants could not be said to be terrorists in the real sense of the word.

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He also warned that collateral damages to any military option in that region would be colossal. Umar said: “I am really frightened by the sudden escalation in the Niger Delta Region from where there are some reports of skirmishes between our security forces and the Niger Delta militants.

This is happening after the President was quoted as vowing to deal with the militants as he did to Boko Haram. “All factors considered, the use of military force in an attempt to resolve the lingering crisis is not a good option and must therefore be discarded.

As a retired general, Mr. President is well aware of the serious and daunting challenges any military will face in its operations in the most difficult and densely populated Niger Delta region. The creeks are so heavily polluted with oil, rendering them highly inflammable.

It will take the firing of a few high explosive shells to set the whole area on fire, resulting in the inestimable collateral damage among innocent civilians. It is also difficult to see how an armed conflict can secure our oil and gas assets in the region.

Instead, it will aid the destructive activities of the militants and lead to the total shutdown of all oil and gas operations in the area. Besides, the Niger Delta militants cannot be said to be terrorists in the real sense of the word. I believe they are amenable to meaningful dialogue.

I need  not to remind the President that  a war in the Niger Delta will be opposed by most objective Nigerians and the international community as unjust and merely aimed at the control and exploitation of the region’s oil and gas resources.

I therefore beseech you, Mr. President, in the name of all that is good, to continue to explore peaceful means of resolving the Niger Delta crisis as painful as you may find this. May God direct and guide you on the path of justice.”

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Meanwhile, an Urhobo militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Movement (NDGJM), has blown up the Ogor-Oteri major delivery line, operated by the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company and Shorelines Petroleum in the state.

The group in a statement by its leader, “Gen” Aldo Agbalaja, said the delivery line was blown up at about 3am on Tuesday, August 30, by its Uproot Team B, Vanguard reports.

This comes despite the ongoing military “Operation Crocodile Smile” in the Niger Delta region and a recent letter to President Muhammadu Buhari by the Niger Delta Avengers promising to stop its hostilities.

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