7th June, 2013
Nigeria’s military on Friday said they had arrested the “mastermind” of an April attack that killed 11 policemen and raised fears of worsening tension in a crucial oil region.
Jackson Fabouwei was presented to journalists in the oil hub of Yenagoa and backed previous reports that the shootings were linked to a dispute over government payments to ex-oil rebels.
“He was arrested on the 6th of June… through sound intelligence gathering efforts,” Colonel Farouk Yahaya of the military’s Joint Task Force said.
He described Fabouwei as “the mastermind” of the deadly raid.
The attack in the Niger Delta targeted an ex-militant leader turned government advisor who was being escorted by security agents to his mother’s funeral when gunmen opened fire on their convoy of boats.
The target, Kile Selky Torughedi, widely known by the moniker Young Shall Grow, was a prominent militant in the insurgency that for years crippled the oil sector in Africa’s largest producer.
A 2009 amnesty deal that saw huge payouts to ex-militants significantly curbed the unrest.
But the attack on Torughedi warned that tensions persist, including among former insurgents over how to divide the government cash.
Fabouwei denied that he planned the shootings.
He said the leader of his gang, identified as “General Virus”, ordered the attack on Torughedi because he was hoarding amnesty funds.
“General Virus told us he has not been giving amnesty money,” Fabouwei told reporters.
Police had previously said the attack was motivated by a dispute over amnesty payouts.
Young Shall Grow had also been appointed a security advisor to the area governor.
Sporadic violence has continued in the Niger Delta since the amnesty, including waves of kidnappings targeting foreign oil workers, with the hostages typically released following a ransom payment.
Analysts have warned that unrest in the region could intensify if the amnesty payments are scaled back.