Nigeria’s minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu has allegedly bribed members of the Niger Delta Avengers with a whooping sum of $10 million to convince the militant group to stop its Operation Red Economy campaign against oil production in the country.
The allegation against the minister was made on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 by Nigeria’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The PDP took to micro-blogging website, Twitter to expose the alleged deal which was concluded the Transcorp Hilton hotel in Abuja this evening.
“The $10m bribe was given to representatives of Niger Delta Avengers after a meeting with @IbeKachikwu at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja
“Mr. @IbeKachikwu appealed to the representatives of Niger Delta Avengers to plead to the militants to stop vandalization of pipelines”, the PDP said.
Managing Director of NNPC, @IbeKachikwu just gave representatives of Niger Delta Avengers $10million bribe. pic.twitter.com/j4BLOiq5OU
— #VoteAndStay (@voteandstay) May 25, 2016
The $10m bribe was given to representatives of Niger Delta Avengers after a meeting with @IbeKachikwu at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
— #VoteAndStay (@voteandstay) May 25, 2016
Mr. @IbeKachikwu appealed to the representatives of Niger Delta Avengers to plead to the militants to stop vandalization of pipelines.
— #VoteAndStay (@voteandstay) May 25, 2016
Messages sent to Kachikwu’s office for comment were not replied at the time of filing this report.
The minister of state for petroleum had last week declared that the renewed restiveness in the oil-rich region of the Niger Delta has cut production by 800,000 barrels per day. Kachikwu has also said that a military solution will not solve the problem of militancy in the Niger Delta.
His remarks come as the hardline army chief, Lt. General Tukur Buratai has sworn to deal with the militants. “The Niger Delta Avengers are not avenging anything,” the army general retorted. “They are just criminals. We will fish them out.”
Buratai has been accused of genocide in army massacre of followers of the Shi’ite sect in Zaria, Kaduna and in Aba and Onitsha – cities in the South East – against unarmed pro-Biafra protesters.
