Niger Delta Militants Vow to Cripple Economy if Buhari’s Re-elected

By Ejiofor Alike

Militant group in Nigeria’s oil-producing region, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), Thursday threatened to cripple the economy if President Muhammadu Buhari is re-elected next Saturday.



NDA said in a statement that they hoped to end Buhari’s rule through elections, adding that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is their preferred choice for president.


The militant group had launched its presence in the country on February 2016, when it carried out an attack on the Trans-Forcados pipeline, the first subsea attack on oil and gas installations in the country.


The incident, which might have forced Nigeria into recession, affected oil production by many companies in the country, forcing Shell to declare force majeure on lifting of Forcados grade of crude oil.


Consequently, the country lost over one million barrels of crude oil per day from its daily crude output.


However, since its declaration of ceasefire, the group has not carried out substantial attacks in the region since January 2017.