Saraki: Any attempt to remove Senate President will be resisted, all business activities will be shut down- Niger Delta militants threatens

Niger Delta militants have threatened to pick up arms and return to the creeks against the major interest of the Federal Government in the region if it failed to heed the calls for restructuring of the country.

In a statement on Sunday and signed by self-styled General John Duku on behalf of Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators (CNDA), the militants also demanded for the immediate sack of the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

The statement tagged, ‘Sack EFCC Chairman, Arrest Miyetti Allah Leaders and Restructure Nigeria or We Resume Attacks’, according to the militants became necessary following series of alleged democratic infractions perpetrated by the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recent time.

The coalition said, “We hereby condemn the recent freezing of the Akwa Ibom State government’s account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and we view it as an act of intimidation by agent of the Federal Government and APC in order to weaken the smooth running of government in the Niger Delta state and we hereby warn the EFCC and other agents of government to desist from this act of official recklessness and breach of the constitution.

“It is indeed regrettable to observe that the EFCC has been used as a tool to fight against the perceived political opponents, instead of carrying out its constitutional duties without bias as stipulated in the 1999 constitution as amended. The EFCC’s fight against corruption has been lopsided without proper investigation or arrest of so many treasury looters who are still looting the public treasury in the presidency till date.”

“The action of the EFCC and the Federal Government is against the laid down procedure of investigation stipulated in the EFCC Acts; the EFCC has no right or basis whatsoever to freeze any state government account. Doing so against the Akwa Ibom State government is therefore a calculated attempt to cripple the activities of the state government, label its officials as corrupt and punish the innocent people of Akwa Ibom State”, the coalition stated.

Stressing the alleged arbitrariness of EFCC’s action against the state, the coalition added that “from all indications, the attack is not on Governor Udom Emmanuel but on the good people of the state because of the personal hatred the APC-led government has for the people of the state in particular and the Niger Delta as a whole”.

While alleging that freezing accounts of states governed by the opposition was a witch hunt, the coalition further asked: “Why is it that EFCC singles out opposition states like Akwa Ibom and Benue states for this unjust act? Why are they not seeing the glaring corruption perpetrated by Kogi and Imo states governors and other APC states?

“Why does the EFCC not arrest many corrupt officials celebrated in the presidency till now? Why don’t they arrest the script writer and most corrupt Senator Godswill Akpabio who looted the state treasury for eight years and suddenly becomes a saint as soon as he crossed over to APC and instructed the EFCC to freeze Akwa Ibom State government account without any evidence of corruption against its officials?”

The group also condemned ongoing anti-Saraki rhetorics in the country, especially from the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders, and their threats on the life of the governor of Benue State, Samuel Orton, describing it as “treasonable”. 

“We also warn that any further attempt to attack or forcefully remove the Senate President from office shall be met with stiff resistance from the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators and we promise that all business activities in the Niger Delta shall be completely shut down. To prove to us that the Federal Government and APC are not using Miyetti Allah group, the government should as a matter of urgency arrest and prosecute the leader of Miyetti Allah to serve as a deterrent to others.