…Fresh Pressure Mounts on FG Amid Rising Tensions
…PANDEF Demands 25% Derivation, Equity, Resource Control
By Emmanuel Olugua
Tensions are rising across the Niger Delta as ex-militant leaders, community groups, and regional stakeholders intensify demands for the decentralisation of multi-billion-naira pipeline surveillance contracts, warning against what they describe as monopolisation and exclusion.
At a high-level meeting held on Wednesday at the Okrika palace of traditional ruler Ateke Tom in Rivers State, prominent ex-militant leaders openly rejected current arrangements and called on the Federal Government to break up surveillance contracts along state and community lines.
Leading the charge, former militant commander Bibopiri Ajube, popularly known as “Shoot-at-Sight,” said stakeholders in the region were not consulted on claims that the contracts should remain centralised until after the 2027 elections.
“Our point is simple: the work should be split so that every state takes charge of its environment. That will increase production and create opportunities for our people,” he said.
Ajube dismissed suggestions that decentralising the contracts could destabilise the region, insisting that broader participation would instead enhance accountability and security.
Also speaking, Bayelsa ex-militant leader Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, also known as “Gen Boyloaf”, described the current structure as a national security concern, warning against concentrating control in the hands of a few actors.
“One man cannot control our territory. We are not conquered people. If the government wants results, it must show fairness to the Niger Delta,” he said.
The meeting comes amid growing agitation across oil-producing communities, where activists and civil society groups have warned that the region could slide into confrontation if existing arrangements are not urgently reviewed.
At the heart of the dispute are lucrative surveillance contracts awarded to a network of private firms linked to influential figures, a system critics say has sidelined many host communities despite their proximity to critical oil infrastructure.
Groups such as the United Niger Delta Congress have described the situation as a “ticking time bomb,” arguing that the exclusion of multiple communities within the Ijaw, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ikwerre, Ogoni, Ibibio and a host of other ethnic nationalities from pipeline protection roles is fuelling growing resentment.
The agitation has increasingly coalesced around a grassroots slogan: “Guard your pipeline, I guard my own,” reflecting demands for community-based participation in securing oil assets.
Analysts say the stakes are high, with Nigeria’s crude oil production still hovering below capacity despite billions spent on pipeline security, raising questions about the effectiveness of the current system.
The controversy has been further inflamed by public outrage over perceived opulence among individuals linked to the surveillance regime, deepening perceptions that a narrow elite has benefited disproportionately from the arrangement.
Adding to the pressure, broader Niger Delta leaders are pushing structural reforms beyond pipeline contracts.
Former Attorney General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi, and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have called for an increase in derivation from 13 per cent to 25 per cent, citing decades of environmental degradation and economic neglect.
They have also renewed demands for state police and insisted on the zoning of the 2027 presidency to the South, arguing that such measures are critical to restoring balance and stability.
Observers say that with ex-militants, traditional institutions, and political leaders now aligning on key demands, the pipeline surveillance dispute has evolved into a broader struggle over resource control, equity, and political inclusion.
For now, the Niger Delta remains on edge, as competing interests clash over control of one of Nigeria’s most strategic and lucrative security operations.