[8] Nigeria, which gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, had at that time a population of 60 million people consisting of nearly 300 differing ethnic and cultural groups.

[10] The Igbo-dominated secessionist state of Biafra that came into existence in 1967 acquired the oil-rich region which played a key role in the Nigerian civil war.

[15] A violent insurgency was carried out under the banner Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) until an amnesty agreement in 2009 by Late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua.

[22][23] The group has also criticised President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari for never visiting the region as well as for his detention of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu,[21] who said he was not affiliated with either MEND or the NDA.

[24] A militant group calling itself Red Egbesu Water Lions later emerged in May 2016 and demanded his release, as well as that of former National Security Advisor Sambo Dasuki.

It also demanded that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission de-freeze the bank accounts of Government Ekpemupolo, as well as unconditional compensation to the victims of the Bonga oil spill and Chevron gas explosion.

[26] Another group calling itself Egbesu Mightier Fraternity emerged in the same month, demanding the release of Kanu and Dasuki in 14 days and that the Nigerian military leave the Gbaramatu Kingdom and stop harassing Ekpemupolo.

[29] A dispute then developed between the militant factions as one of the groups calling itself Reformed Egbesu Boys of the Niger Delta unilaterally announced a ceasefire on 13 June.

[35] On 8 July, a new group called Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders (NDRC) bombed the Brass Creek Manifold in Bayelsa State.

[39] On 9 August, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate declared its existence and threatened to destroy refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri within 48 hours, as well as a gas plant in Otu Jeremi within a few days.

[48] On 1 September, the Nigerian Army captured Gabriel Ogbudje, a supposed ex-militant who they claimed had now become leader of a new militant group Otugas Fire Force.

[50] On 4 September, NDGJM claimed it had rigged all the marked oil and gas facilities with explosives and warned residents living nearby to evacuate.

[59] On 27 September, a militant group calling itself Niger Delta Volunteers (NDV) warned the government that it will cripple all its infrastructure that generated income, describing the bombing by Avengers on Bonny pipeline as a "child's play".

[67] The NDA announced its intention for a declaration of independence on 1 October, which gained the support of IPOB despite the group saying it was unaffiliated with the former as Powerful said: "We have nothing to do with MEND, but our philosophy aligns with that of Niger Delta Avengers who bravely called for the release of our leader and had maintained it till date.

[69] Following Kanu's arrest, IPOB spokesman, Comrade Emma Powerful said of Nigeria that it was a "contraption done by the former British colonialists which is no longer working, hence the quest of the Biafrans to opt out of the incompatible marriage – the 1914 Amalgamation.