BEVERLY HILLS, March 01, (THEWILL) – Militant groups in the Niger Delta have warned that they would bomb MTN; Multichoice – operator of DSTV; Shoprite and 16 other major South African investments in Nigeria if the Federal Government failed to shut them down within one month.
The coalition, which was reacting to the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and their businesses in South Africa, gave one month ultimatum to South Africans living in Nigeria to leave the country and relocate elsewhere.
The groups comprising Niger Delta Watchdogs, Niger Delta Volunteers and Niger Delta Strike Force, issued this threat in a letter addressed to the Office of the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, located at 71 Usuma Street, Off Gana Street in Abuja.
The letter entitled: ‘Attack and killings of Nigerians living in South Africa’, was signed by: ‘General’ John Duku (Niger Delta Watchdogs); ‘General’ Ekpo Ekpo (Niger Delta Volunteer); and ‘General’ Hart Bradford (Niger Delta Strike Force).
The militant groups, which expressed anger that the South African Police were shielding criminals and joining the hoodlums to kill Nigerians, asserted that Nigerians must be free from the wicked agents.
Aside MTN, DSTV and Shoprite, some of the South African companies in Nigeria listed for attack by the militants are Eskom Nigeria, South African Breweries (SAB Miller), Umgeni Water, Refresh Product, LTA Construction and Protea Hotels.
Others, according to the letter, are Critical Rescue International, Global Outdoor Semces, PEP Retail Stores, Woolworths Holdings Limited, Truworths International Limited, Clover Industries, Oracle, Power Giant and Airtime.
The letter reads in part, “Arising from the joint meeting of the Niger Delta Watchdogs, Niger Delta Volunteers and Niger Delta Strike Force, held today (Wednesday) in Port Harcourt, we condemn the recent attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
“We want to state that the recent attacks (on Nigerians in South Africa) will mark the end of this nonsense because we will not fold our arms and allow this to continue. We, therefore, call on the Nigerian Government to immediately close down all the businesses owned by South Africans in Nigeria.
“Failure to close down these companies within one month, we shall mobilise in full force and commence massive attacks on the above-mentioned South African-owned investments in Nigeria. We shall also make sure that all MTN masts and offices are brought down to naught.
“We shall strike any property and persons from South Africa within our reach; we will bring down Multichoice (DSTV), Shoprite and others. We will not fold our arms and watch you (South Africans) slaughter our people like chickens for no just cause.
“We are fully prepared; our professional fighters are already strategising, South Africans must be crushed in Nigeria; our people must be free from these wicked agents.”
The militant groups averred that the one month ultimatum was enough for South Africans to relocate and leave Nigeria, even as they warned Nigerians against patronising South Africans business concerns on the expiration of the ultimatum to avoid casualties.
Accusing the South African Government of plotting to kill Nigerians within its territory by all means, the Niger Delta agitators declared that they would not allow such a plan to be executed.
“How can you explain a situation where the police clobbered defenceless Nigerian citizens to death without any provocation?” the militants asked.
They noted that the South African Government and her citizens possessed the highest number of business operations in Nigeria by a foreign country and making huge profits and living in a peaceful environment with nobody attacking them.
“But our people in South Africa have been unjustly subjected to torture, killings, looting of their belongings as well as burning down of their business premises/apartments,” the agitators added.
