Ex-militants Threaten To Shut Down Gas Plant

Chairmen of the Delta and Edo States’ Phase 2 Ex-militants of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) have reversed the members’ threat to shutdown Utorogu Gas Plant in Otu-Keremi, Ughelli South local government area of Delta State.

The former militants said the threat was informed by the news that some persons had hijacked the N320 million meant for them.

They appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the interim administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Maj-Gen Barry Ndiomu (rtd) and security agents to go after those behind the alleged hijack.

In a statement signed by the Delta State chairman, Solomon Adu, Edo State chairman, London Gbuke and Julius Belemu from Bayelsa State, said the earlier threat to shut down the gas plant was because nobody owned up to the hijack of the money until some persons countered a publication without their names not being mentioned but reacted out out of guilty conscience.

The ex-militants stated that the N320 million alleged to have been hijacked by a few ex-militants is meant for the entire Phase 2 Ex-militants in the Niger Delta region, adding that they are not fighting for themselves but for the entire region.

The statement reads in part, “How would they say their attention was drawn to a publication by some self-appointed chairmen of the Phase 2 Ex-agitators from Delta, Edo and Bayelsa states, alleging some persons of hijacking N320m, without mentioning their name, but yet rushed to counter our publication, is that not laughable.

“It is shocking to respond to a publication your name was not mentioned and allegations you know nothing about, your names not mentioned, we only petitioned President Tinubu and others over the hijack of N320m, and they started issuing press statements, calling for an arrest for fighting a just course.

“It is therefore laughable that some person who had hijacked N320m meant for the entire Niger Delta Phase 2 ex-militants are coming out to show their faces that they are behind the hijack even when none of their names were mentioned in the publication.

“You are urging the security agents not to treat the threat of shutting down Utorogu Gas Plant with kid gloves, when your guilts have proved you all out as prime suspects by revealing yourselves through their response to a publication their names was not mentioned.

“Like we have earlier stated since we have seen the names of those behind our petition to federal government over the hijack of the N320m, we are urging the security agents to swift into action by arresting those whose names were not in our publication but revealed their name by themselves through publication as threat to shutdown Utorogu Gas Plant dropped.”