HOW IJAW LEADERS, ORUBEBE, CLARK ABORTED ATEKE's OIL WAR

 * Reiterates His Problem With Amaechi

 * Gears To Confront Kidnappers

OVER seven days of intense pressure from prominent Ijaw leaders, among them the Minister of State for Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, and Chief Edwin Clark, forced the leader of the Niger Delta Patriotic Force (NDPF), Ateke Tom, to beat a retreat from his planned ''Oil War'' which was to commence from the midnight of February 14, 2009.

Well informed sources told our correspondent yesterday that the Ijaw leaders were of the view that any renewed armed struggle would disrupt government's ''quick intervention'' plans for the oil and gas region through the newly created Niger Delta Affairs Ministry.

They also prevailed on the insurgent leader to make a u-turn since according to them, any further disruption of oil production activities in the Niger Delta will adversely affect the country in the face of the curent global economic meltdown.

But, Ateke, according to one of his top commanders, notified his kinsmen that he was not targeting at the Federal Government. ''He told the Ijaw leaders that he was fighting the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, who wants him death by all means'', the Ateke commander alleged.

Two weeks ago, Ateke had given all oil and gas corporations operating in the Rivers state axis of the oil region up to February 14, 2009 to quit or be caught in their ''Operation Zero Oil Exploration'' war. The insurgents said their resolve to lauch a fresh war was due to the alleged excesses of the special security outfit, JTF, in the oil-bearing communities.

Although the JTF Spokesman in the state, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said their operation is within the bounds of ''peace keeping operation'', Ateke is alleging that they are going about their business with impunity. ''They have been wasting suspected militants and repressing oil communities suspected to be hosting militants'', Ateke alleged.

Apparently not moved by the threat, the Rivers State Government was busy urging citizens not to panic over the recent security challenges, occasioned by activities of kidnappers, as security operatives have been directed to step up surveillance activities in all parts of the state.

Information Commissioner, Mr Ogbonna Nwuke who stated this while briefing correspondents on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Port Harcourt last week, said the state was on top of the situation .

''The state government is alive to its responsibilities to protect lives and property of its citizens, noting that the events of the past few days should not lead to unnecessary panic as security operatives are fine tuning strategies to arrest the situation'', he said.

Nwuke used the opportunity to appeal to parents to advice their children and wards to refuse to be used to cause disaffection in any part of the state, pointing out that the present administration would continue to insist on the observance of the rule law.   

In spite of the commissioner's assurances, acts of kidnapping appear to go unabated. A woman in her late fifties has joined the list of those abducted by unknown gunmen in the state.

Grace Kinah was forcefully moved out of her B-Dere home in Gokana Local Government Area, late on Wednesday night by some gunmen.

Though no contact has been made with the family, one of the sons of the woman, Christian Kinah is calling on the kidnappers of his mother to release her unconditionally.
You would recall that kidnapping of women, children and elderly men seem to have become the order of the day in recent times in the state.

The Chairman Gokana Local Government, Victor Giadom, has consistently advised youths in the area to tap the opportunities provided by his administration through the various skill acquisition programs on ground.

Spokesman of the NDPF and the Niger Delta Vigilante (NDV), Tamunokuro Ebitari, told our correspondent that the leadership of the two insurgent groups was mapping out strategies on how to contain those behind acts of kidnapping in Rivers.

''When we are decided on this, we will make it public. But in the mean time, let me confirm to you that we have called off our planned oil war code-named 'Operation Zero Oil Exploration' that was scheduled to kick-off on February 14'', the spokesman said. 

According to him, they wanted to embark on the war to protest the January 30 unprovoked attack on ''one of our loctions by the JTF. We gave a two-week altimatum to that effect that multinationals operating in Rivers state should leave''. 

Continuing, he added, ''we are reneging on our resolution and commitment because of the insistence and passionate intervention of our esteemed Ijaw leaders like Chief Edwin Clarck and Elder Godsday Orubebe, the minister of state for the Niger Delta''.

''However, the JTF and its sponsors should know that,in spite of all their plans and actions, non of our frontiers has been incapacitated. It is obvious that, the military has seen a cocoa farm in Rivers state and as such, anytime they want to harvest, they must carryout one futile action on our locations while, small groups strive in their lucrative kidnapping business. in the full glear of the so called JTF'', the insurgents alleged. 

They argued that  if Abuja does not prevail on Governor Amaechi to stop waging ''his personal war on our people with the instrumentality of federal forces, there will be no peace in the state, adding that they are challenging ''well-meaning Rivers people'' to stand up and challenge Amaechi on the N1.00 billion his adminiostration allegedly spends on JTF operations monthly.