Contending Issues in the Niger Delta Crisis of Nigeria - Journal of ...

Egbadju Obukohwo Abraham
Shell clash (1990-1999), the Kaiama bloodbath (1998), the Odi and
Choba killings (1999) and the Kokodiagbene, Kurutie, Okerenkoko,
Oporoza-annihilation by JTF (2009). This may not be the end. For
recent reports on Government’s sponsored military attack against the
Niger Delta protesters (see, Daily Sun, May 18, 2009 pp1&6,
Vanguard, May 18, 2009, pp1&5, Vanguard, May 19, 2009 pp 1&5,
Saturday Sun, May 23, 2009 pp 1, 11-14 & 46, Vanguard, May 25,
2009 pp 1&5, Vanguard May 25, 2009 pp 1&5, Vanguard, May 28, pp
1&5).
The Nigerian Government has not been able to justify the JTF
military carnage in the Ijaw villages; even though it may be argued in
some uninformed quarters that no responsible government should sit
back and watch an important part of it, “a veritable cash cow” as the
Niger Delta, impoverished into nothingness. The Federal
Government’s argument that it will not sit back and watch lawless
groups hold it to ransom is porous. Here, again the question of
security contradiction in the Nigerian state re-appears.
Concluding Remarks & Recommendations
The issue of oil exploration and exploitation and the crisis in the
Niger Delta region of Nigeria has been lingering; especially against the
backdrop of continued or renewed agitations by the people of the
region over what they have often referred to as marginalization;
underdevelopment of the region and indeed injustice suffered by the
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