For armed insurgent in Niger Delta, the oil rich Nigerian coastal belt, the chicken may finally be coming home to roost. Pointblanknews.com has learnt that the United States of America, USA, is offering technical and military logistics to assist Nigeria in tracking and halting the flow of arms used by insurgents.

A de-classified intelligence memo that recently went from the U.S Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Jendayi E. Frazer to the U.S Congress and obtained by Pointblanknews.com, noted that despite the dismal human right records of the Nigerian Military in the past, it has been reluctant to use force in combating the militancy of the youths of the Niger-Delta, serving notice that now the U.S will “institute and manage stockpile security and destroy collective/surplus weapons and assist in tracing the origin of weapons seized from criminals and insurgents.”

The memo said to have been forwarded to U.S Congress Foreign Affairs Committee mid June, 2007 is currently awaiting approval.

Also, the memo states “we are providing state-of-the-art security equipment for all of Nigeria’s airports and are studying how we can implement an offer to expand our community-policing projects from Northern Nigeria into the Delta.”

The Assistant Secretary of State for Africa disclosed through the memo that already the United States has offered Nigeria a network of sensors, radar, and communications gear to enhance the control of territorial waters.

The world has watched the Nigerian government loose grip of the crisis in its oil producing areas. The communities’ right from the 1960’s had decried pollution, degradation and poor infrastructural development. The Government at times responds inadequately. Notable indigenes of the Niger Delta like Late Isaac Adaka Boro and playwright, comedian and publisher, Ken Saro Wiwa, paid with their lives while trying to broker humane condition of living for their compatriots. If there struggles were largely passive and peaceful, agitations in the Niger Delta have recently assumed disturbing trend.

Large Ocean going vessels cruising international waters are often commandeered by angry Niger Delta youths. Most times innocent crews of such ships are kidnapped, humiliated and ransomed to be freed. The youths are moving from rag-tag gangs to sophisticated organized commandoes thus sending signals that Nigeria has become gravely unsafe.

The international community that turned a blind eye initially is now waking up to the fact that business would no longer be as usual no thanks to the increasing oil price and images of celebrating kidnappers.

However, according to Assistant Secretary Frazer, the United State in collaboration with Nigeria is ready to checkmate the rising crisis in the Niger-Delta region using the most up-to-date military and civil equipments to track down insurgents.

Also, the memo says the United States “wish to provide, train/equip programs for a Nigerian riverine unit that could address fisheries violations, oil theft, piracy, smuggling, narcotics trafficking and environmental degradation.

The memo further noted that since the end of the controversial elections that produced the government of Musa Yar’Adua as President “militants have sent a clear political message to the government by renewing multiple attacks on oil facilities, kidnapping dozens of foreign workers, and curbing between one-fourth and one-third of energy production.”

While noting that not all the Delta’s problems are tied to humanitarian concerns, the memo stresses that “most militants are criminally motivated in their kidnappings.”

After few weeks of relative seize fire, the Niger Delta militants have giving the Nigerian government up till July 3, 2007 to address issues affecting the Niger Delta region or witness another round of unrest in the area.