Twelve Angry Militants

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“With oil prices slipping below 40 dollars a barrel, if the government of President Buhari is willing, we will help to reduce its price of barrel to 15 dollars […] Nigeria will collapse under the watch of All Progressive Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari as we will do everything necessary to actualize the American prediction”, thundered twelve ‘retired’ Delta fighters as they warned the government off arresting their comrade, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo. The insurgents signed their December missive, the Egbesu Mightier Fraternity.

The prophecy of Nigeria falling apart was contained in a 2005 discussion paper by the United States government’s National Intelligence Council, ‘Mapping Sub-Saharan Africa’s Future’. It’s often attributed to the then US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell who, carefully covering all his bases, later said, “I have never predicted the breakup of Nigeria because I have never thought it would happen. But, were it to do so, the likely consequence would be a humanitarian disaster.” Campbell is now a Senior Africa Policy Fellow at the US Council on Foreign Relations.

The Egbesu warrior cult is based around the Ijaw traditional war god. In its modern version, it is an armed clique which has been central to the Delta insurgency since 2003. Egbesu fighters wear magical amulets fashioned by a priesthood which includes Tompolo. Now, they have not only bespoke talismans but also serious firepower, courtesy of an arms deal with Norway, via the UK.

Designed for coastal patrols, seven armoured vessels were sold to Tompolo’s Global West security outfit for anti-piracy operations in June 2014. The ships sailed from Norway to Ramsgate, England, through an intermediary British security company, CAS Global, then on to Nigeria. The legal loophole hasn’t stopped Britain’s National Crime Agency from arresting two CAS Global businessmen on suspicion of bribing a Norwegian civil servant with US$150,000 to secure the Hauk deal. Their first court appearance is in March.

At news of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s attempt to arrest Tompolo, a series of pipeline explosions broke out on 14 January along the Escravos-Lagos pipeline, owned and operated by a subsidiary of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. This led to a $400,000 daily loss to gas supplies and power generation.

At the same time the authorities reported a ‘breach’ in the Bonny-Okrika pipeline on the other side of the Delta, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. It’s unclear whether these events were coordinated. Both led to the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries halting operations.

Schools have been closed as the Joint Task Force scours Oporoza for Tompolo’s sympathizers. ‘Boats are freely moving in and out with guns and other weapons’, said one report. ‘There is a stockpile of arms and petrol […] This is not an ordinary operation, it is well planned and there seems to be several options and alternative plans.’

Was this a sign that the armored ships are being readied for battle? Officially, the navy impounded the Horten, the largest of the vessels, along with six smaller, more agile craft, it is currently missing in action.

Not everyone in Gbaramatu supports Tompolo. Neighbouring Itsekiri groups protested against the ship in 2014, mindful of Tompolo’s command role in the 1990s in the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities, which made violent land grabs for ethnic Ijaws.

–Africa Confidential