The Avengers and long live the Niger Delta.

For a long time many pundits knew a war-monger and over confident president would try to rumble military hardware into the Niger Delta, thinking that would annahilate the people of the region. However, such a military tactician failed to factor-in the fact that a well oiled guerilla outfit stands to give the invading forces a run for their military might, a run for their war chest. The war of attrition that will evolve as a result could eventually consume not only the Niger Delta but the invaders as well. So, a reminder here may come handy: there will be no cake walk in the Niger Delta, unless the military generals are all willing to defend their war crimes at the Hague like former Bosnian general, Rodovan Karadzic has done to his dismay. In the 21st century, it is not difficult to present overwhelming evidence of war crimes against president Buhari and his generals.

In the coming battle between David and Goliath, the Niger Delta Avengers have served notice they are a guerilla outfit willing to go the whole distance. That they are ready to take over from where their predecessors MEND left off; that they are ready to cripple the Nigerian economy, unless the government take the holistic restructuring of the country very seriously. This, they see as the fulcrum of their conditions to stand down military ostilities. For the Avengers, this is not only about the Niger Delta but as much as the survival of the Nigerian state.

Besides the Niger Delta, many other geopolitical groups complain privately about a Nigerian political structure that is heavily and unfairly tilted towards the north. Unfortunately, the leaders in these regions talk in the language of political correctness and hide their simmering frustrations. These are closet patriots who talk about one Nigeria in the day time, but wish for equity and fairness in the dark of night. These certified cowards and hypocrites are the major problems of Nigeria. 

Their nauseating complacency, their shrewd self-defeatism and inferiority complex does a tremendous disservice to the children of their unborn generations. In the Niger Delta, that’s the equation the Avengers are willing to balance at great personal sacrifices. 
Yes, president Buhari has promised the Avengers fire and brimstone, hell and armmagedon. But that is what is called, pride coming before the fall.

 The Avengers know what is before them. They know it is now or forever remain as second class citizens in a country they have paid dearly for her survival. But they also know that the peoples struggle from the clutches of slavery, from an hegomonistic Oligarchy won’t be easy. Their work is already cut out for them.

In the meantime, there’s the feeling and understanding that Buhari has ordered his invading forces to go and annihilate villagers and the civil population in the Niger Delta as a tactic to intimidate them to submission. It is believed that the people will be forced under duress to give information about guerillas they know nothing about. It is believed soldiers are on strict orders to shoot at sight when villagers refuse to give non-existent information. It is believed that the military will rely on the earlier JTF template to burn down whole communities as the only way to fish out the militants. Unfortunately or fortunately, that’s the beginning of the collation of the evidence of war crimes that Buhari’s generals must face and answer. These generals must understand by their training that overwhelming military force against civilian targets has a limit. That limit stops with the abuse of human rights.

As Buhari prepares to rumble into the Niger Delta main battle tanks, amphibious artillery units, military jets and so fort against defenseless civilian targets, it must realize the Avengers will have nothing to loose as they cherry-pick their own targets that are located all over the meandering creeks, croc infested marshlands and much polluted rivers. The Avengers will most likely move in small units in the dark of night in an area they know the topography without maps. They know by heart what is where. They will be extremely mobile, well armed and highly motivated. They did not look for this war, this war was brought to them and it was decades in the making. For them, it is either now, or never. It is always difficult to defeat the will of the oppessed; not easy to overwhelm militants who think they can overcome.

Long live the Niger Delta, long live the Avengers. Umkhonto wa sizwe. Aluta continua, victoria acerta.
         ___________ Ebi B Asain

“You may encounter many

  defeats, but you must not

  be deafeted.”
          ___________ Maya Angelo