Buhari: Why Niger Delta ‎Situation is More Complex

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Niger Delta militants are using the training they ‎received from either the government and the oil companies in perpetrating their criminal activities.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said Buhari spoke on Monday during an audience with the Foreign Minister of Federal Republic of Germany, Dr Frank-Walters Steinmeier, at State House, Abuja.

He told the visitor that the security challenge in the North-east of the country was under control, with Boko Haram largely defeated.

He, however, added that another serious form of insecurity had reared its head in the Niger Delta, adding that the objective was to colonize the country economically by sabotaging oil and gas installations.

He said: “We are trying to speak with their leaders, to know how many groups there are, and we are also working with the oil companies.

“The militants engage in sophisticated sabotage, using skills they had gained from trainings either by government, or the oil companies, to vandalize installations deep in the sea. We need to understand who the real agitators are, and engage with them, so that confidence can be restored in the region,” the president added.