From Tony John, Port Harcourt
A Niger Delta group, the Concerned Militant Leaders (CML) yesterday afternoon, seized a ship with Liberian flag along Bakassi Peninsula of Nigerian waterways.
This is even as the group disclosed that the next target for attack would be Frontier Oil in Eket, Akwa Ibom State.
Daily Sun gathered that the vessel was heading to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Bonny, Rivers State before it was intercepted by the militants.
Spokesperson of the CML, General Ben, disclosed that they seized the ship as part of their grievances against the Federal Government and to cripple the economy.
Ben, in a statement yesterday evening, said they were yet to ascertain the number of crewmembers onboard the vessel, adding that they had every other information about the ship.
“The vessel has the following details (excluding crew onboard), MMSI: 636015354; IMO: 9113551; gross tonnage: 25,202; Country Flag, Liberia; Crude oil tanker and Pilot, Captain Marcus,” he said.
The group ruled out any intention to dialogue with the Federal Government anywhere, unless it is around the Atlantic Ocean, which is their area of control.
The spokesperson stated that CML had not decided what to do with the vessel and crewmembers now, but would inform the Federal Government their intention before Wednesday, July 27.
He warned that no militant group should dialogue with the Federal Government until it addressed the agitations of the Niger Delta agitators, particularly the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which CML, in particular, is concerned about.
“This is the worst government we have had since this democratic dispensation. People are suffering and dying due to hardship and government does not want to listen to the grievances of our people.
“There is no time again for negotiation with any government, and no group, even the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) should not do that. Government should wait for us and expect more pipeline attack.”