By Francis Sadhere

The dreaded militant group in the Niger Delta region, Niger Delta Avengers, (NDA) has advised the Nigerian Navy to stop arresting innocent people in the name of looking for their members.

They said none of their members had been arrested by the Nigerian military, stressing that their strike team remains in tact.

The group, reacting to reports that the Nigerian Navy has arrested two of their men, said in a press statement by it’s spokesperson,  Mudoch Agbinibo that those arrested were not their members.

The statement posted on their website reads:

“From media reports, it is clear Commodore Joseph  Dzunve the Commanding officer NNS Delta has lost his sense of Professionalism, how are those innocent boys connected to NDA .  We don’t know Prince David and Felix Ebiador they are not part of us. All NDA operatives are intact. No security operative has arrested any of our members.

“What the commanding office NNS delta commodore is doing is to please his boss that he is working. Must he connect innocent people to us? Very soon the general public will know the truth about Nigeria Military especially Nigeria Navy that specializes in illegal oil bunkering.

“Stop arresting innocent people in the name of looking for NDA operatives. It’s obvious that Nigeria Navy is incapable of policing the Nigerian maritime space.  Even the Chief Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral, Ibok-Ete Ibas, made it clear while briefing the Senate that Nigeria Navy is unequipped to match the Niger Delta Avengers. So how can well-trained NDA Members bring themselves so low to be arrested by those criminal elements (Nigeria Navy)? They should follow the path of honor and morality by telling their Commander in Chief the truth instead of arresting innocent civil tagging them as nda operatives. The days of wire and battery are over we are far advance in gorilla warfare.

“We are warning everybody for the last time stop associating Tomopolo to us. He is our enemy as the Nigeria government and those innocent boys paraded as NDA operatives are not part of us.

“From intelligent gather by NDA agency, there are other people send out by Nigeria government to sabotage the genuine struggle of liberating the Niger Delta people. The government knows those people. The so-called saboteurs take part in pipeline bombing by using some members of defunct MEND.

“With an open confession by the criminals that they are paid to saboteur the Niger Delta struggle. Yet, the DSS is shielding these fed criminals because they working against the interest of the Niger Delta people. The NDA have not shared any blood neither   partakes in sea piracy, Hostage taking that is not our style.

“The government should heed to our demand of self-determination. Mr. President everybody is tired of this thing called Nigeria. The ship call Nigeria is grounded right now and you are so confuse. You lied to your foreign allies, your citizens on daily bases. Mr. President, you even lie to yourself.

“Even if we are going to dialogue, it will be in the present of international community.

“WE DON’T WANT A PEACE OF OUR TIME WE NEED A PEACE WITH HONOR”

It would be recalled that the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS DELTA, arrested eight suspects, involved in various criminal activities ranging from pipeline vandalism, kidnapping and supply of explosives to Niger Delta Avengers yesterday.

The NNS DELTA Commander, Commodore Joseph Dzunve who assumed duty as base commander in July, said four pipeline vandals, apprehended at different illegal refineries spots within the Delta creeks, were among the suspects.

The commander explained that one of the suspects, Moses Ushi, was a military impersonator, who was caught with military uniform.

Another suspect, identified as Ebiye Ozano, is an alleged kidnapper, alleged to have masterminded the killing of one naval officer in the creeks of the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta.

He also said that the other two suspects were allegedly involved in supplying explosives items to the Niger Delta Avengers.

”The two Avengers suspects are identified as Prince David (avengers mechanic) and Felix Ebiador (avengers supplier).

”The avengers were arrested by my personnel during a trip to deliver batteries, cables and other explosives to their colleagues in the creeks.

”Ebiador was arrested with explosive cables, batteries and other devices, while David was the mechanic that repairs their (Avengers) boats whenever they have problems.