The Aggrieved Freedom Fighters Forum (AFFF), a coalition of Niger Delta ex-agitators, has withdrawn its petition to the federal government seeking the cancellation of the pipeline security surveillance contract awarded to Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL).
The group had earlier accused PINL of non-performance, marginalizing local youths, forcing the renaming of Ijaw communities, increasing illegal bunkering, and sponsoring tribal conflicts between Ijaw and Urhobo communities in Delta State.
In a press statement issued last weekend in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, AFFF leader, General Seiyifa Gbedeke, also known as Don Cairo, announced the withdrawal of the petition and apologized to PINL, the federal government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and the people of the Niger Delta.
Gbedeke admitted that the petition was premature, lacked evidence, and was based on misinformation. He said that after consultations with stakeholders, including PINL staff, ex-agitators, and beneficiaries of the company’s scholarship and medical outreach programs, the group decided to change its position.
“We were hasty and misled in our approach. We apologize for our ignorance,” Gbedeke stated, while commending PINL for its effective operations within the mandate given by the NNPCL and the federal government.
He further praised PINL for employing about 15,000 Niger Delta youths, conducting regular medical outreaches, and offering scholarships, which he said have contributed to peace and stability in the region.
