War In Niger Delta: Mend Threatens Northerners In Oil Industry

Udezue-

My questions to you are:

Adaka Boro declared Niger Delta a republic on 23 February 1966, a good time before Biafra. Why didn't Biafra support Niger Delta Republic?

What do EK Clark, Enahoro, Ogbemudia & Ejor have to do with this massacre?

N’Delta: ‘Agitators must rise against criminal elements’
By John Ameh, Tunde Odesola, Sebastine Ebhuomhan, Chukwudi Akasike and Adelani Adepegba
Published: Tuesday, 26 May 2009
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, on Monday called on agitators in the Niger Delta to carry out internal cleansing by flushing out the criminal elements who had hijacked the genuine struggle for resource control in the region.

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Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio

Akpabio noted that the resort to kidnappings and killings by some militant gangs did not portray the struggle as genuine.

He spoke in Abuja as the lead discussant during the 7th National Roundtable on Good Governance organised by a group in the House of Representatives, The Initiatives, on the topic, “The Niger Delta Crisis and the Challenges of Leadership.”

His comments came just as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, observed that the criminal elements in the region had not been fair to the administration of President Umaru Yar’Adua.

He recalled that out of the N3.1tn budgeted by the Federal Government for the entire country this year, the nine states in the Niger Delta alone would take N1.5tn, about half of the budget size.

Akpabio said, “Let the militants rise against themselves and sort out the criminals among them.

“Those who are genuinely agitating for their rights must rise against those who have infiltrated their ranks; they did not need the Federal Government to send the Joint Task Force to the region to do the self-cleansing for them.

“You kidnap a poor girl and kill her, then you send a message to the father to go and claim the corpse. Those you kill, are they not from the Niger Delta?”

Meanwhile, the continued onslaught of the JTF against the militants has resulted in the displacement of more people.

The situation has also brought increased challenges to relief agencies in the Niger Delta such the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nigerian Red Cross.

Our correspondent learnt on Monday that the Director-General of NEMA, AVM Mohammed Audu-Bida (rtd), had directed the immediate movement of more relief materials to affected communities and opening of more camps for the displaced.

Audu-Bida’s order came on the heels of NEMA’s establishment of a camp at a primary school in Ogbe-Ijoh community, Warri South West Local Government, to cater for the needs of victims.

When our correspondent visited NEMA National Headquarters in Abuja, on Monday, neither the DG nor the Head of Public Relations Office, Mr. Yushau Shuaib, was around.

They were said to have travelled along with some other top officials of the agency to Delta State where they were assessing and responding to the needs of displaced people.

Also, the Conference of Ethnic Nationalities in Niger Delta has called on the Federal Government to end the military onslaught in the oil-rich region.

It said that rather than attacking the region, government should face the problems affecting the people squarely with a view to finding solutions to them.

The president of the group, Prof. Kimse Okoko, who described the military action as premeditated, argued that the continued bombing of communities in the region would not stop the genuine agitation of the people.

He said that the invasion by soldiers was an indication that the Nigerian Army was not disciplined enough.

He said, “We are not at home with the attack on communities in the Niger Delta region. It is clear that the military action is premeditated.

“It is one thing to bomb Ijaw communities, it is another thing to annihilate the Ijaw nation. The Ijaw nation cannot be annihilated.

“There is no army in a civilised world that will do what the soldiers are doing in the Niger Delta now. It is as if we are back to the barbaric days.”

Also, anxiety has descended on the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, over the fate of 11 missing JTF soldiers, six of whom were drawn from the barracks in the state.

Our correspondent gathered on Monday that the six soldiers from Enugu division reportedly included a captain, and other infantry soldiers.

Though the names of the soldiers were yet to be officially disclosed, the families of those involved in the JTF operation from Enugu have become apprehensive that their loved ones might have been part of the casualties in the Niger Delta.

A soldier who spoke on condition of anonymity said that there had been apprehension in the barracks since the news broke, adding that the army was doing everything to ensure that the concerned families did not get to know the identities of those who had been declared missing in the operation.

A human rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has also called on the United Nations to prevail on its Human Rights Council to address the human rights situation that has been thrown up as a result of the ongoing military onslaught in the Niger Delta.

In another development, the Chairman, Nigerite Nigeria Limited, Dr. Yemi Oladimeji, has said that palliative measures will not solve the issue of youth restiveness in the country.

Speaking during the donation of motorcycles and grinding machines to members of the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party in Osogbo, on Monday, Oladimeji said the government must provide concrete developmental initiatives in order to stop the restiveness.

Oladimeji, who is the leader of Imole De group – a major political bloc within the PDP in Osun State, explained that concerted private-public initiatives were needed to free the country from the jaws of militancy.

First of all, Nigeria is a disgrace to Africa. Where is the love of a President? Does it really make any sense that the government slammed a war on so called militants whey they know quite well they don't have a master plan of where they could be located? Where are the militants that have been killed? Where is the captured plane? Why can't they allow reporters in there to assess the situation as it is in Niger Delta? It is time we know and understand that the President is merely starting an ethnic war. We all know these people are fighting for their rights, why can't the government do something about it and afterward if they make any attempt at disrupting the peace of the region then they can be held accountable? The government have failed on this one as no responsible government will open fire from the air on innocent citizens in search of some "militants". Now, I see killing the Niger Delta helpless civilians is part of Yar'adua's 7-point agenda, puleeeeze! Let's see how Nigeria makes it to G-20 with all these atrocities.

@ seeker

Ask George Bush wherein particular  was Osama when he invaded Afghanistan also ask him where where those Wepons of mass destruction after he invaded a sovereign state. If they wanted to invade anywhere they should try North Korea where we all know have nuclear warheads ready for action.
And also note Militants are not fighting for anyone's right. They are making more money than any of us can ever make legitimately in the shortest period of time. it was a good cause turn bad with greed just like every good thing Nigerians try to get their hands on. These militants are housed conveniently by communities and these communities are suffering from their actions. I do pity them i wish i could go there personally and be of help to them. But when you harbor known criminals we all know in law you are as bad as the perp. The US cadet have a very strong honor code which says "a cadet will not lie,cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do" if we all and i mean every single Nigerian would uphold a code like this we could as well be in heaven cause most evil are a results of lies theft and Cheating of different sorts.

If something is not good lets always admit it rationally and not biased in any way whatsoever

MEND we hail thee, Kill those motherfucking Northern Jihadists well well, Oil is from the south but yet the money is used to support the Motherfucking Hisbah police and Terrorist infrastructure of the North at the expense of the south,
mess Yar'adua too, fucking Mallam, men go rear some cow or something, IDIOT

This is rather pathetic situation.

I wonder what you are still doing there in Lagos or wherever you are talking about freedom fighter, i think you should be in the creek now fighting along side your brothers, instead of sitting in front of a computer preaching war that can never be won.

ONLY cowards sit in the comfort of their homes and sing the war songs,

So GO my friend, J.T.F are waiting .

niger deltans have their right cos their land is being destroyed with petroleum and yet it is undeveloped and the federal government should stop paying deaf ears cos if care is not taken it will escalate into war just like biafra. nd pls niger deltans pls take it easy we are still one nigeria