Presidential Research & Communications Unit

The Federal Government on 28 September received a fresh mandate from the National Council of State (NCS) to crush insurgents fomenting trouble in various parts of the country. The NCS authorised Government to use necessary force to overpower any group or individuals whose activities threaten the corporate existence of the country.

The NCS, the nation’s highest advisory body, comprises current and former Heads of States and Presidents, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, current and past Chief Justices of the Federation as well as serving state governors. President Olusegun Obasanjo is its Chairman.

Present at the 28 September NCS meeting were Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former President Alhaji Shehu Shagari, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida; former Chairman of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; former Chief Justice, Mohammed Bello; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari and about 30 state governors.

The mandate against insurgence comes against the backdrop of clashes between ethnic militias and security forces in the oil-bearing Niger Delta region. The self-styled Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF), which is headed by Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, has recently engaged security forces in sporadic battles in the creeks of Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

Although recent fighting has focused around Port Harcourt, particularly Asari’s native Kalabari hometown southwest of the city, the leader, in a communiqué, has vowed to spread the conflict across all 43 Ijaw clans, which encompass the majority of Nigeria’s oilfields.

According to the group, its central objective is to attain sovereignty for the Niger Delta region and severance from the rest of the country. On Friday 24 September the group warned oil companies to shut production before they begin an “all-out war.” It also advised “All foreign embassies” to shut down their facilities and “withdraw their citizens from the Niger Delta until the resolution of the fundamental issues.”

The warnings came in a communiqué issued 27 September after a meeting of NDPVF’s central command.

Although security is being beefed up to safeguard lives and property in Port Harcourt, Government is leaving nothing to chance, especially as the group has declared an all-out “war of liberation” – described as Operation Locust Feast – from 1 October, Nigeria’s Independence Day. In Asari’s words, “Operation Locust Feast will commence on October 1 marking the 44 years of dubious independence of the Nigerian state.”

According to the communiqué, the assault would be sustained until Government agrees to negotiate self-determination for the Ijaw people, who form a majority in the Delta. Asari is thus demanding that Government convenes a “sovereign national conference” to discuss self determination and greater control of oil wealth by the inhabitants of the oil region. The Ijaw National Congress has been nominated as mediator for any talks with Government.

Nigeria’s 2.3 million per day barrel of crude oil is produced in the Niger Delta region.

Also on 28 September, and piqued by threats from armed youths, particularly the NDPVF, to attack oil companies operating in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian Army vowed to crush the insurrection.

The Joint Military Task Force (JTF) set up by the Federal Government to quell all acts of armed struggle by militia groups operating in Rivers State said it would now embark on full military operations in the creeks.

The JTF has instituted a 24-hour patrol in Port Harcourt and its surrounding creeks, and has been involved in a series of attacks on suspected bases of the militiamen. There are also crack teams of standby troops to reach any part of the Rivers State on short notice.

Meanwhile, the Presidency has invited Chief Executives of oil companies operating in the country to further dialogue and deal with critical issues as they concern militia groups.

It is estimated by Amnesty International that up to 500 lives have been lost in the Port Harcourt conflict, which is about a month old. The deaths have been mostly from sporadic gun battles between the rebels who travel in speedboats, and a new deployment of troops sent to crack down on them.

Membership of the loosely knit NDPVF, according to its leader, is approximately 200,000 and its arsenal includes machine guns, assault rifles and rocket launchers.

By 28 September, the crisis in the Delta region, instability in the Middle East and the damage by Caribbean hurricanes to United States (US) oil production, pushed crude oil prices above $50 (N6,650) per barrel .

Also as a result of the NDPVF crisis, crude oil futures in New York jumped 36% in electronic trading to $50 a barrel. This is the highest in the 21 years oil futures have traded on the exchange.

Nigerian oil is produced by five multinational oil companies comprising Shell Developing Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil, Total, ChevronTexaco and Agip. The country is the fifth largest supplier to the United States.

As a result of NDPVF’s threats, Shell has withdrawn about 200 of its non-essential staff from Port Harcourt.

Another group whose activities threaten national security is the Movement for the Actualisation of the State of Biafra (MASSOB), which on 26 August engineered a shut down of business activities across the southeast region. The group claims to be fighting for the resuscitation of the defunct state of Biafra.

In the north-eastern state of Borno, security forces have been battling Muslim insurgency and on 26 September about 27 “Talebans” were killed during a shootout with government forces.

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