By SAMUEL OYADONGHA &
FESTUS AHON
The leadership of Niger Liberation Force
(NDLF), a militant group in the Niger
Delta, has demanded N1bn from the
Federal Government as compensation for
what it described as “the extra judicial
murder of its leader, General John Togo,
aerial bombing and killing of innocent
citizens of Ayakoromor community by
soldiers of the Joint Task Force.
The NDLF demand is coming on the heels
of the alleged Federal Government
payment of N100m compensation to the
family of the slain leader of the Islamist
group, Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf
who was reportedly killed by the police in
custody.
...Militants
Spokesman for the NDLF, Capt Mark
Anthony, in a statement made available to
Sunday Vanguard, said unlike Boko
Haram that went bombing and killing
innocent citizens, agitation was for local
control of oil revenue arising from
decades of years of criminal injustice and
balkanization by the Nigerian government
and did not go about the streets of Niger
Delta to murder innocent citizens and
security operatives.
The group, which flayed the Federal
Government decision to compensate the
family of the Boko Haram leader who
died in police custody, threatened to return
to the creeks if government refused to
make compensation through its legal
representatives on or before June 21, 2012.
The statement read in part, “The
leadership of the NDLF has consulted
and authorized our legal team to demand
from the Federal Government, on behalf
of our organization, to pay NDLF and the
family compensation of N1bn, for the
extra-judicial murder of our commander
and leader of NDLF, General John Togo,
his soldiers and bombing and killing of
innocent citizens in Ayakoromor by
soldiers of Joint Task Force (JTF)
through both aerial bombing and mini
warship attacks in 2010/2011.
”Our organization rose from its slumber
suddenly when the government of
Nigerian paid similar compensation of
N100m to the Islamist Boko Haram
leader’s family for extra-judicial murder
of Mohammed Yusuf by the police”.
”NDLF’s objective was clear as our
agitation was for local control of oil
revenue arising from decades of years of
criminal injustice and balkanization by the
Nigerian government.
”NDLF, as part of our scope of
operations, did not go about the streets of
Niger Delta to murder innocent citizens
and security operatives unlike our
counterparts, Boko Haram, who went
bombing and killing innocent citizens,
including church worshippers, security
formations, UN building and other major
strategic targets that had caused pains to
hundreds of families. Yet, the Federal
Government of Nigeria decided to beg
them by paying N100m to the slain Boko
Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf and
others by the police.
”We, therefore, consider this as a slap on
our face and urge the Federal Government
to make immediate compensation through
our legal team before or not later than 21
June, 2012, or else, NDLF will be forced
to go back to the creeks for action. The
leadership has directed all NDLF soldiers
and intending recruits to get ready for
action, if the government ignores our
demand.”

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/06/militants-demand-n1bn-reparation-give-jonathan-june-21-deadline/