A new militant group, Niger Delta Development Force, (NDDF) has threatened to attack oil installations in the Niger Delta should the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike faction in the Rivers crisis succeed in using the judiciary to halt revenue allocations to Rivers State.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division is expected to deliver judgment in a suit filed by the pro Wike faction in the River State political crisis seeking to stop allocations to the local government councils in the state.
Recall that new local government chairmen were sworn into office in the state on October 6, after their election on October 5, 2024 in an election conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission, (RSIEC)
However, the opposition represented by the pro-Wike faction and a faction of the state All Progressive Congress, APC which had boycotted the election discountenanced the election and headed to the court to press for reliefs to stop the allocations to the local government councils.
The Trumpet learnt that the opposition felt that Gov Fubara had gone ahead of them in the crisis by successfully holding the local government election and positioning his men at the grassroots, thus displacing the pro-Wike people completely from the grassroots politics in the state.
The resort to the court according to sources is a last ditch effort to cripple the local government councils by starving them of funds having failed to stop the election.
Interestingly, all legal propositions adduced by the Rivers State legal team before Justice Abdulmalik either to stay action on the suit or transfer it to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt and recuse herself from the case were dismissed by the judge, insisting that she would go ahead with the case.
Apparently sensing some gang up against the Siminalayi Fubara led government, the Niger Delta Development Force,issued a stern warning to bomb oil installations if the Federal High Court eventual ruling denies local government allocations to Rivers
The group’s threat comes ahead of a decision expected from Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Monday.
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The group claims that Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, is leveraging his influence and relationships with judiciary members to secure rulings that undermine the governance of Governor Sim Fubara
Justin Alabraba, the group’s spokesman, stated, “Any judgment that denies Local Governments(allocations )in Rivers State will be met with heavy destruction of oil installations.”
Alabraba emphasized the group’s readiness to act, declaring, “Let them try it on Monday and see. We will shut down major oil pipelines, and it would be the beginning of the worst to come. Wike cannot be using Tinubu’s powers to cause problems in Rivers State.”
There have been calls from well meaning Nigerians on President Bola Tinubu to prevail on the FCT minister to refrain from the crisis he is stoking in Rivers State.
Former President Good Luck Jonathan had also raised the alarm that the Rivers crisis if left unaddressed could snowball into a national calamity that would spell doom for the nation.
The Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council had also urged President Tinubu to stand form and not allow anyone leverage on any relationship with him to destabilize Rivers State.
At a time the Federal Government is making frantic efforts to boost crude oil output, if the threat by the NDDF becomes real, President Tinubu would only have himself to blame for allowing dirty politicking to further ruin the nation’s economy and consequently worsen the prevailing hardship in the land.
