A Niger Delta-based rights group, the Ijaw Interest Advocates (IIA), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to stop an alleged ongoing plot by some federal agencies and agents of the government to fleece the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The group, also known as the Izanzan Intellectual Camp, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Arerebo Salaco Yerinmene and the National President, Patriotic Ijaw Youth Leaders, Sammy George, said it had information about a plot to hijack funds meant for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The group said a remittance from the International Oil Companies (IOC), which ought to be their statutory contribution to the funding of the NDDC, was paid to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which in turn directed the fund into an account held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) with a new generation bank.
It said the NDDC management had in the last six months been barred from gaining access to the IOCs’ contributions by the Presidency, following advice from security agencies.
The body, however, appealed to President Buhari to investigate the alleged plot and ensure it is aborted, warning that it will mobilise people of the region to embark on protests if nothing is done.
It said disrupting oil and gas exploitation and production activities would also become an option.