Terror-fed pandemonium broke out in the Christian-populated south of Nigeria when a renowned grouping that calls itself Niger Delta Avengers once again took to arms and destroyed several oil wells and installations. There is a grim feeling of déjà vu taking us back to 2006-2009 when militants of this region inhabited by some 20 million people revolted against the federal government demanding at least some control over local natural resources.
The previous hostilities in Niger Delta ended seven years ago with a payoff by the government in Abuja, the national capital. Central authorities consented to a comprehensive amnesty for the rebels, launched a job-training vocational program and employed the yesterday’s ‘bombists’ as guardians of the oil infrastructure they used to blast. Actually, it amounted to a monthly ’stipend’ (at that time worth some $400) paid to the fighters to pacify them and buy out peace and tranquillity in the troubled region.