Where Will FG Source Fund for North East Dev Commission-Avengers

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the militant group that has been claiming responsibility for the incessant bombings of oil facilities in the Niger Delta, on Friday put a question mark on where the Federal Government will source funds for the proposed North-East Development Commission.

The group, which had been silent in the past two weeks, resurfaced in another tweet to demand for the source of the fund to finance the proposed commission, insinuating it might be from the region.

It tweeted: “Can Niger Deltans ask the Nigerian President and his northern lawmakers how they can fund the so-called North-East Development Commission? Hope it is not what the High Command of NDA is thinking?”

The militant group was however silent on an inquiry by THISDAY on the veracity or otherwise of a claim that some military officers had approached it to sustain the tempo of attack on oil facilities to trigger a coup against President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The tweet, which was sent to NDA on Thursday, did not catch the attention of the militant group only for them to issue a statement on the funding of the North-East Development Commission.

Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) had recently claimed that it had not reached any ceasefire agreement with the Federal Government.

The position of the militant group was coming on the heels of the expiration of a two weeks’ ceasefire by the Federal Government to enter into discussion with critical stakeholders in the region to end the renewed crisis.

In response to the ceasefire mooted by the Federal Government, the presence of soldiers in the creeks was scaled down while the search for the suspected militants was also reduced.

The two weeks’ ceasefire by government expired last Wednesday, prompting followers of the Niger Delta Avengers to raise questions on the reported renewal of the agreement.

NDA had said in a tweet that there was no such agreement with the Federal Government on any ceasefire.

It tweeted thus: “The NDA High Command never remember having any agreement on ceasefire with the Nigeria Government”.

Further details later