A former agitator, Endurance Amagbein, has distanced himself from the recent attack by sea pirates on some oil pipeline surveillance workers at Igbomotoru, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

He alleged that there were plots by some powerful persons to implicate him in militant attacks in the state to pitch him against the military.

Following the attack on March 18, reports published by some national newspapers alleged that the group behind the attack was loyal to Amagbein.

But, in a statement on Monday, by his media aide, Funkere Oweifagha, the former agitator said that he did not know anyone or group of persons involved in militant activities in any part of Bayelsa State or the Niger Delta region.

He said, “I don’t know anyone or group of persons still involved in militant activities in any part of Bayelsa State or the Niger Delta region.”

The attack on Monday, March 18 attack was the first of such attacks in Bayelsa State in a long time since the granting of amnesty to former militants by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Ardua.

Amagbein affirmed that militancy in the Niger Delta effectively ended in 2009 when Yar’Adua came up with the amnesty programme to restore peace and economic stability to the region.

He said, “Militancy in the Niger Delta region effectively ended in 2009 when late President Umaru Musa Yar’Ardua came up with the amnesty programme to restore peace to the region.”

Amagbein said he has since been doing his private business and philanthropic works, stressing that he did not know where the allegations were coming from.

He added, “Some powerful pipeline contractors from Delta and Bayelsa states have teamed up with some persons in government to bring me down for failing to support the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 Bayelsa State governorship election.”

The former agitator lamented that he has since been raising the alarm that some persons were planning to resume hostilities in the state and implicate him to pitch the armed forces against him, but he was ignored.

Amagbein explained that he was living his private life peacefully and did not have any boys engaged in militant activities in the creeks of Bayelsa State or anywhere else in the Niger Delta region.


https://punchng.com/ex-agitator-denies-link-to-bayelsa-pipeline-attack-calls-for-investigation/