‘Where Is Avengers? – Amid Impunity In NDDC, Amnesty Office’ – Group

The Ijaw traditional religion, the Egbesu Sacred Order (ESO) has accused Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) for playing dumb in the face of what it described as impunity in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the office of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

According to report in Nation, the serving Priest of ESO, Ellington Bakumor, in a statement on Saturday, wondered the whereabouts of the Avengers, accusing members of the militant group of disguising themselves as freedom fighters to pursue a selfish purpose, only to vanish when Ijaw people were in need of them.

Bakumor said it was unthinkable that the NDA would be silent at a “critical time when impunity now relaxes untamed in the NDDC”.

He also accused the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio of circumventing the Act establishing the commission, saying that Akpabio has deliberately refused to act in line with the commission’s act.

According to him, the rights and voices of the commoners had been pocketed by the Akpabio, whom he claimed imposed himself as a feudal lord of the commission.

He said: “We question with all sincerity, why after all the lives that have been lost, all the arms that have been dropped, the agreements made with the Nigerian Government, yet the position of the coordinator of the Amnesty office is still vacant up till this moment.

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“Why has the Avengers gone dumb?, Why the silent against the unconstitutional actions of Godswill Akpabio, a clear case of a feudal lord dictating the activities of the NDDC

“We also call on President Muhammadu Buhari to act swiftly by consulting the Niger Delta leaders beyond party lines and across all boards to find suitable replacements for both the Amnesty office and the NDDC”.

Passing a vote of no confidence in Akpabio and Amnesty boss, the priest said: “The duo are retrogressive elements for the the Buhari-led government, clearly their presence and actions are threats to the existing peace being enjoyed

“We once again wish to remind the Avengers that they have in their statements claimed to owe their allegiance to the well being of Niger Delta people, but should do so within the armbits of the law, while we further appeal to the Presidency not to pay deaf ears to the yearnings of the people, as we fear that defiance may truncate the existing peace in the region, as it is our earnest desire for peace and tranquility to reign.”