Niger Delta Avengers urged to be patient

Edwin Clark, the leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (Pandef), called for patience on Sunday, urging the Niger Delta Avengers militant group not to resume attacks as talks with the government continue.

“This is not  the time to resume hostilities,” Clark said in a statement issued by the Presidential Amnesty Programme. “It is true that the federal government has not been quite serious about the negotiations, but we are asking the Niger Delta Avengers to maintain the peace.”

The Niger Delta Avengers announced an end to their ceasefire, which began in August 2016, on Friday. Over the several months of its previous “Operation Red Economy” campaign, militants attacked oil facilities of Chevron, Shell and ExxonMobil, lowering Nigeria’s oil production to 1.4 million bopd in May. In response, the government has been holding negotiations with the Pan-Nigeria Delta Forum (Pandef), resulting in the government pledging a series of measures in August.