IYC says Avengers are within Buhari’s government

The group of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), has said that
President Muhammadu Buhari should look for Niger Delta Avengers (NDA)
within his government.
Udengs Eradiri, the president of the group, revealed this to the press at the
headquarters of the council in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
He also lamented endless linkage of avengers and criminals in Lagos state to
Ijaw people.
Eradiri urged President Buhari to commence the search for Avengers within
his administration insisting that members of the militant group were in Aso
Rock villa.
Ijaw youths leader said: “Why are they always quick to attack our
communities? Gbaramatu is not the headquarters of Avengers. It does not
habour any Avenger. Do you think that the community people are happy that
they are under siege and cannot go about their normal duties?
“The more they are doing this thing, the more Ijaw people will begin to come
together and we will never be divided. The government should stop harassing
our people.
“The NDA is within them. They know themselves. They are blocking the
President left, right and centre so that he would not see them. The NDA is
with him and his people there.”
He also restated that his people were not behind the violent onslaughts on
communities in Lagos and Ogun states by militants lamenting that some
people intentionally credited such criminalities to Ijaw to cause ethnic war
between Ijaw and their Yoruba neighbours.
Eradiri added: “There are some groups in Lagos engaged in criminal activities
and those activities are now threatening the brotherly relationship our people
have enjoyed in Lagos.
“First, Nigeria should stop ascribing anything that happened in the Niger
Delta to Ijaw people. For the avoidance of doubt, Niger Delta Avengers are
not Ijaw people. I am tired of answering questions about Niger Delta
Avengers.
“I am the president of the Ijaw Youth Council. I am not the president of NDA.
NDA are not Ijaw people. We don’t know who Niger Delta Avengers are. If
the security agencies know avengers, they should arrest them. They should
do their jobs.

“They should stop transferring their jobs to community leaders or youth
Organisations or leaders of ethnic nationalities. Their duty is to maintain law
and order, to gather intelligence and do whatever they deem fit to ensure that
there is peace in the country.
“Please stop ascribing negative things to Ijaw people. We are the fourth
largest ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and I agree that we are the people who
refuse to eat sand and call it food. But that does not mean that every little
thing that happens in the region will be ascribed to Ijaw people”.