Yenagoa — Barely a week after militants blew up two Nigeria Agip Oil Company pipelines in Bayelsa state, the Joint (Military) Task Force on the Niger Delta (JTF) has raised the alarm of a possible militant strike again in the state, following intelligence report.
The possibility of the strike, THISDAY gathered, has forced the JTF to fortify all roads leading to the state, especially along the busy East/West Warri/Port Harcourt highway.
Also, the long span bridges at Patani and Kaima have been taken over by battle-ready soldiers following threats of bomb attack by unknown militias .
THISDAY also gathered that two prominent ex-militant leaders from Bayelsa State have been fingered as culprits in last week's dynamite attack on the Agip pipelines at Osiama last week.
Intelligence report, unveiled to 35 ex-militant leaders in the state led by the Sector Commander of the JTF, Col. Victor Ezugwu and State Director of the State Security Service (SSS), Mr. Baba Musa, showed that the planned action may have been influenced by some external and political influence outside the region.
Ezugwu said it was this report that influenced the fortification of both the Kaima and Patani bridges over the recent threats. The meeting was held behind closed doors.
THISDAY check revealed that some ex-militant leaders including Comrade Ebikabowei Victor-Ben aka Boyloaf, Pastor Reuben Wilson, Joshua Machiver, Comrade Eris Paul aka Ogunboss and Africanus Ukparaisia aka General Africa who was represented by his deputy expressed their readiness to work harmoniously with security agencies in order to apprehend those involved in the attack.
Boyloaf and Ogunboss condemned the actions of the ex-militant leaders indicted by the intelligent report while also asking the Federal Government to expedite action on the amnesty agreements, saying while many of them could be patient for all the details of the agreement to be implemented, other may not, which maybe the reason for the attack.
Said Boyloaf: "There are no splinter group planning to engage in violence and some people in the struggle don't know the value of amnesty. The attack is selfish and criminal. There should be full stop to this rubbish. Anybody caught is on his own and the act is targeted at undermining a Niger Delta man at the Presidency. The deities of the region will not forgive them."
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