Why I Become A Niger Delta Avenger

 

“I’m sorry, but there is a 90% chance that any child you give birth to will have some mental or physical defect. You have inhaled so much toxic substance over the years, and your blood has been contaminated”.
Those were the exact words the doctor told I and my husband Uche, 23 years ago.
After Uche proposed to me, we went for medical checkup and the doctor told us without mincing words, that because I had stayed in an area where toxic substance was released, any child I give birth to will not be normal.

 There was no doubt what the “toxic Substance” was; we both knew it was as a result of the oil spillage in my community. Nevertheless, Uche proved his love by going ahead to marry me. We hoped for a miracle where the doctor’s report will be wrong. But after I got delivered of a baby boy, he turned out to be an imbecile with two and half arm.

I hate to say this of my own child, but he actually looked like a decaying rat. We swore never to bring in another child into the world to suffer like this, rather we would adopt children.

I love my wife and I’m willing to spend the rest of my life with her, even without kids, but I was angry! I was furious that my people have suffered the defects of oil spillage for so long, yet nothing serious has been done to curb this!
My father who was an oil bunckerer was among those who fought for the rights of the Niger Delta People, before a former president reached a truce with us to drop our arms and receive some sort of compensation. But governance changed hands and things have not been the same.

I fixed a meeting with the old boys, and we decided it was time to fight for our rights! In our clique we have Doctors, Lawyers, Top Politicians, Generals in the Army and Top people from all works of life. Money was not a problem, so we bought armored tankers, speed boats and ammunitions needed for the war that was soon to come. We prepared for the worse!

Some people may say we are foolish for causing havoc in our own land, as we try to stop the selfish government. But it’s better to be foolish and stop this inconsiderate government from taking what is ours, without paying attention to the plight of the host community that feeds this ungrateful nation.

We are prepared for war! But the aim of the Niger Delta Avenger is not to kill anyone, but to let our cry known to the government who has turned a deaf ear to our plight. But if the government continues to be deaf, we will open up their ear with the noise of explosion.

Recently the army came to our land looking for us. We laughed. If the army wants us to wipe them out then so be it! We have people in high places, we are not afraid! What is dead cannot die again!

Our people have suffered enough! Unborn children are forced to a fate they know nothing about. Women and children suffer in a land full of abundance and you think it is not time to take it by violence?
It’s better to destroy what is available, than to let them take the available and ignore our misery. Watch out!