Tension As Ex-Militants Threaten To Close CBN (Read Why)

Ex-militants threatened to close down the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) branches in the Niger-Delta region if the apex bank fails to pay up three months arrears allegedly owed them. Leadership reports that the ex-militants gave the apex bank seven-day ultimatum to pay up the arrears, warning that at the expiration of the ultimatum on Monday, September 26, they will carry out their threat. The ex-militant leaders who spoke through Stephen Ebisinte in Asaba, Delta state, said the decision to close down CBN was unanimously taken by all phase 2 leaders in the region and that there was no going back. The militants said Paul Boroh, who is the special adviser to the president on Niger Delta and coordinator of the presidential amnesty programme informed them via a text message that the amnesty office was no longer responsible for payment of their monthly stipends, but the CBN. They said: “We mean what we said earlier, at the expiration of the ultimatum on Monday next week, we are all going out, Boroh should stop misinforming and deceiving the government and the public, he forwarded us a text message that reads: ‘Amnesty office does not pay anymore, it’s Central Bank that pays ok’, now he is sponsoring people to plead on our behalf in public to counter our report, he should stop politicking with the amnesty programme because it has gone a long way, he should stop politicising the affairs of ex-militants because we do not have division in our midst.” Meanwhile, one of the militant groups, the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, has blown up another key crude oil delivery line belonging to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) in Delta state. The Vanguard reports that the attack happened on September 18 at about 11:30 pm near Ekuigbo, Ughelli North local government area of the state.