Kidnapping, Piracy Thrive Offshore Niger Delta

Fresh Kidnapping, Piracy Thrive Offshore Niger Delta, Says Group

CIVIL society group, Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) has raised an alarm over an alleged renewed kidnapping and piracy off the coast of the Niger Delta.

While commenting on the October 1, bomb blasts in Abuja, the group said the spate of piracy attacks and offshore kidnappings over the past month are a clear reminder that for some business goes on as usual.

Spokesperson for the group, Inemo Semiama, in a statement to AkanimoReports on Tuesday, claimed that some of the attacks has generated a news wire but otherwise the apparent partial blackout on such news in local media (and the absence of high profile UK/US victims) has contributed to the problem getting scant attention.

''When combined with the continuing kidnapping of Nigerians across the south east it is critical to understand that a whole criminal industry must be dismantled before normality can be said to have returned. Kidnappers are known to move their business from state to state according to prevailing security responses;;, they said.

Continuing, the group said, ''coastal waters and habitually insecure states such as Abia have been reliable sources of business when it is too provocative to mount attacks elsewhere. Despite this caution kidnappers in Aba, Abia State - just 30 minutes drive from Port Harcourt - brought the issue back to national attention when 15 schoolchildren were kidnapped in the last week of September.

''The Presidency was admirably frank on the depth of the problem after this incident. It is vital that words are matched with systematic regional action. It will help if all actors who could invest more in the region remind the government of the importance of follow through on credible measures to improve security''.

According to them, ''the car bomb attacks in Abuja were a first in the current era of conflict and provided a particularly callous example of how far both political and militant factions will go to secure attention. The use of dual bombs increased the number of casualties and left little doubt that the attack was either cynical or reckless with regard to the civilians and security personnel caught in the blast''.

For the SDN, the attack and associated attempts to show off continuing capacity in the Niger Delta highlight the wide gap in the region between the present amnesty process and enduring stability.

Assing, they said, ''there has been a sizeable demobilization of militias and considerable cash inducements - especially for those at the heads of militias. However missing from the process has been any substantial disarmament, nor has anything systematic been put in place to prevent another 'generation' of militants swiftly emerging to demand their share of the revenues from oil''.

The rest of their statement went thus: ''Earlier analysis by SDN suggested there was a high risk of a further breakdown in the Niger Delta in the new year. This would be a continuation of the increasingly violent cycle where peace deals announced by the Government would generally hold for between 12 and 24 months before flaws and a propensity for rewarding violence would support the next escalation.

''Each cycle has produced a systematic increase in violence on both sides. Militias have systematically looked to increase leverage by extending the type and geography of their violence from localized clashes in 2004 to sporadic attacks on offshore oil targets and 'demonstration' attacks that have now added Lagos and Abuja as targets. The military has added to its own arsenal with a corresponding increase in its potential for violence.

''There are now multiple risks and opportunities facing the Presidency. Having made high stakes allegations about political sponsorship there is an obvious need to show a robust investigation of the immediate incident. Where there was early insistence about political sponsorship from outside the Niger Delta the Presidency has inadvertently highlighted how easily the present cocktail of militias and weapons can be exploited.

''The attack on October 1st may have inadvertently forced some changes. For the first time the Presidency came out and called the bombers terrorists - a label that is not easy to take back and one which limits the options for appeasement. Key militant leaders have also come out and condemned the attack, expressing their commitment to ally with the Federal Government.

''The Federal Government must also acknowledge that its amnesty program has limitations - and that regardless of their size there are factions that are capable of doing considerable violence. With the number of weapons in the region, oil bunkering, and a history of violence being rewarded it is inevitable that new factions will emerge unless remedial action is taken. It is not too late for a comprehensive peace plan and disarmament process to be developed, one where the recent position taken by militant groups could even open the door to substantive action.

''Political attention has in recent months drifted away from the Niger Delta. While it is true that there are now a range of national problems, a failure in efforts to bring about stability and development will almost certainly lead to conflict that will imperil the resources required to deal with all other pressing national issues.

''The international community can take a lead by refusing to accept "stock answers" and reassurances and make much more forceful representations on the need for credible peace and stability plans. Investment in successful stabilization initiatives will provide a return that provides a swathe of material and strategic dividends at both the national and regional level''.

ENDS

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