Niger Delta Avengers accuse Oshiomhole, Sylva of supporting and sponsoring MEND

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state and former Bayelsa state governor, Timipre Sylva, have been accused of being among the sponsors of defunct militant group, Movement For the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, rampaging new militant group.

This allegation was made by the Niger Delta Avengers while reacting to the statement credited to MEND spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, who accused Niger Delta elites and leaders of “ungodly conspiracy of silence” on the atrocious activities of the Niger Delta Avengers.

MEND had said in the statement; “What is more worrisome to us is the ungodly conspiracy of silence of the region’s elite and their tacit support of the NDA’s conduct under the pretext of a so-called “Niger Delta struggle” which went to sleep in luxury hotel suites in Abuja and around the world for the entire duration of the 6 years of Mr. Jonathan’s binge and unmitigated disaster as President”.

But responding to MEND statement, the Avengers lampooned Oshiomhole in what appears as reprisal attacks on the latter’s hardliner position and consistent condemnation of the group since it launched its operations targeted at crippling the Nigeria oil economy.

In a statement on Tuesday signed by its spokesman, ‘Brig-Gen’ Mudoch Aginibo, NDA, while urging members of the public to disregard statements made by MEND concerning its activities, told MEND that its days of criminality in the Niger Delta region were over.

The statement read; “We appeal to the general public and all sane minds on the activities of Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to disregards all purported statements and misplaced threat emanating from disbanded criminal elements like the so-called MEND (Movement For the Emancipation of The Niger Delta) that are political sidekicks and desperations from Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state, Mr. Timipre Silva and their political paymasters to hold their political party to the jugular of the affairs of the Niger Delta Region.

“That our struggle is focused on the liberation of the People of Niger Delta from decades of divisive rule and exclusion. We are watching keenly their regretful efforts at rebranding and regrouping of criminal elements in the region for their short political gains and territories.

“The NDA is unperturbed. We have mandate that is clearly a departure of those old tactics of the defunct so-called MEND that was indulged in kidnapping, hostage taking, Sea piracy, illegal oil bunkering, bank robberies and social crimes of which the likes of Boyloafs, Ateke Toms, were associated to in their days in the name of the struggle.

“The wind of change in the Niger Delta struggle has come, we are are young, smart, and focused Niger deltans. Our mandate is to liberate the Niger Delta people; we don’t run after pipeline contracts,” NDA reiterated.

TODAY