The President, Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, has raised the alarm that some ex-militant leaders are threatening to kill him.He claims the ex-militants wants him dead because of his position that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation surveillance contracts to oil-bearing communities in Bayelsa State should be reviewed to involve all communities.
In an interview with journalists in Yenagoa on Sunday, though the IYC boss did not mention the names of those after his life, he nevertheless said he had received several threat messages from some concerned ex-militant warlords.
He maintained that his call for the review of the pipeline surveillance contract in the state was informed by the fact that since the commencement of the surveillance jobs, only a few ex-militants had been using the contracts to enrich themselves to the detriment of the communities the contracts were meant for.
Some ex-militants, under the aegis of Niger Delta Ex-freedom Fighters, had protested in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, last Wednesday, alleging that Governor Seriake Dickson was plotting to hijack the NNPC surveillance contracts to oil-communities in the state.
During the violent protest, no fewer than nine persons, including a police officer, were injured when the ex-militants clashed with the police.
Eradiri stressed, “I have been threatened. My life has been threatened by some ex-militants. They have written several text messages to my telephone threatening my life. In any case, I am reporting the threat formally to the security authorities so that all of us will be in Abuja to sign papers.
“I am surprised that they are threatening me. What has my house got to do with pipeline surveillance contract. I am not a signatory to that. I have only voiced the opinion of the people as the Ijaw youth leader to say the Ijaw National Congress, must be part of the process.
“The IYC position remains that the process must be reviewed to involve the interest of the communities.
“We had a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan last Wednesday and they were all at the meeting. These issues were raised and the Petroleum Minister said she was going to ensure that the issues were resolved.
“At that meeting, it was agreed that 50 per cent should go to the ex-militants company, BAJERO, and 50 per cent to Bayelsa State Security Company, Izon Ibe. But the ex-militants want to control the entire 100 per cent of the contract. But they have now turned round to accuse me of trying to stop their own after others had signed theirs.
“I did not stop it. They are greedy and selfish.
“I only said the pipeline surveillance contract is going to be reviewed to carry all interests along. If not, they did not want the governor to be involved. They said all sorts of things about the government and said the governor wants to use their money. Is it their money? Are they the owners of the communities?”
