Group under the aegis of Ijaw National Congress Europe (INCEU) has called on the Federal Government to release N327 billion reserve for the development of the Niger Delta area through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Making the pronouncement in a communiqué after the organization first congress in London recently, INCEU stated that it observed that despite the Federal Government proclamation of seriousness at addressing the Niger-Delta crisis, the Federal Government is still withholding about N327b reserved for the development of Niger-Delta through the NDDC.

The group pointed out in the communiqué that in as much as they appreciate the Federal Government attempt at dialogue, they are however disturbed about the many conferences by previous government whose decisions and resolution were not implemented, adding that they are skeptical of the outcome of the intended Niger-Delta summit.

According to the communiqué government forces in the name of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) are still attacking Ijaw communities with the flimsiest of excuses, just as they recalled that JTF attacked Opuama, Koluama and Okrika among others recently.

Consequently, the group resolved that they should attend the Niger-Delta summit if government demonstrates transparency and commitment to implementing the decisions of the conference, stressing that the guarantee to that is the immediate release of the fund of NDDC and the immediate implementation of the agreement reached with the different nationalities of the Niger-Delta.

“We support the genuine struggle of the Niger-Delta people and commend all those that have been championing our course”, the communiqué disclosed, just as it explained that it condemned hostage taking in the strongest term.“Perpetrators of hostage taking are cowards, infiltrators and fifth columnists bent on derailing, destroying and tarnishing the image of the genuine struggles of the people”, the communiqué stated, just as they called on other Ijaw other ethnic nationalities abroad to continue to present the issues of the Niger-Delta to the International community and impress on them to intervene in the Niger-Delta crisis.