The death,
last week of Chief Thomas Ekpemupolo, father of ex-militant leader, Government
Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), is threatening the fragile peace in the Niger Delta,
Reuters reported on Monday, saying militants were becoming restive over the
circumstances of the death.
The militants
massed in the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), that had dealt heavy blows to oil and
gas installations in the region, had entered into an unofficial ceasefire with
the federal government, pending formal negotiations of their grievances last
month.
But the death
of the father of the militant leader, the report said, might reverse the little
gains of the peace process and lead to the resumption of hostilities as the
militants were said to be holding the military vicariously liable for the
incident.
The
octogenarian had fallen while fleeing an army raid on his hometown in May and
injured his leg, which had to be amputated two months later, said a spokesman
for his son, Tompolo.
The old man
died last week from complications arising from the amputation. And the NDA
militants were said to be agitated by this.
Although
security sources said Tompolo had links to the NDA, which had claimed
responsibilities for the attacks on oil and gas installations, which
incidentally began shortly after corruption charges were brought against him,
he had persistently denied any involvement in the acts.
“In a
nutshell, [the] government caused the death of my father,” Frank Ekpemupolo,
another son, said at a gathering of 400 mourners at his father’s compound in
Warri, the largest city in Delta State.
Mourners
including community chiefs, politicians and villagers accused troops of
harassing people in the fishing communities dotted along the region’s
waterways.
An Avengers
spokesman told Reuters the military was “harassing poor people of the Niger
Delta”. The military denies it, saying troops are merely searching for
militants and criminals.
Several new
militant groups have sprung up in the last few weeks, each with its own
demands, and some have vowed to launch a new wave of attacks.
Community
leaders say they are concerned that the government has not contacted militants
or unveiled a negotiation team, three weeks after the Avengers said they were
ready for the promised talks.
“We haven’t
been contacted, but we are not worried,” said the Avengers spokesman.
Captain Mark
Anthony, a spokesman for the Niger Delta Liberation Force, a defunct militant
group, said the “government’s muteness” since the Avengers announced a
ceasefire was creating “a security concern for everybody”.
“They have
only stopped bombing temporarily. It doesn’t mean they are tired of bombing,”
he said.
An army
offensive was launched in late August against militant camps which led to the
deaths of five people and the arrests of 23 others.
Eric Omare,
spokesman for the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), which represents one of the
region’s largest ethnic groups, said statements by President Muhammadu Buhari
that militants would be treated like Boko Haram jihadists prompted fears that
the offer of talks was a ruse to prepare for a military onslaught.
Tensions in
Warri are concentrated along its murky brown waterways — used by fishermen,
commuters and thieves stealing crude oil — where fleeting encounters with
strangers can end in bloodshed.
Boats slow
down and their occupants raise their arms when they encounter naval patrol
boats fitted with machine guns.
Fishermen say
they fear being mistaken for militants and shot. Gunmen disguised as priests
killed three soldiers last month.
An official
who did not want to be named said “arrangements” were being made to resume
dialogue with the militants.
He said the
government wanted each militant group to send representatives, rather than
acting through intermediaries as in the past. Thisdaylife
Follow Solenzo Blog on
0 Comments