*Henry Okah, Charles Okah,
Obi Nwabueze may be freed
*Nnamdi Kanu, others to get
freedom if they renounce
Biafra
*Tompolo off the hook if he
cooperates
*Niger Delta Avengers gets
last chance to stop bombing
or…
The Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger
Delta (MEND) and the Federal
Government, currently engaged
in a dialogue through the oil
companies and security
agencies to end renewed
bombings in the oil-rich Niger
Delta, seem to have reached
far-reaching compromises,
including the possible release
of a former militant leader,
Henry Okah, from prison in
South Africa, and his brother,
Charles Okah, incarcerated in
Nigeria.
They were also said to have
agreed that ex-militant leader,
Government Ekpemupolo ,
alias Tompolo, would not be
harassed by government if he
makes himself available as a
delegate on MEND Aaron
Team 2, while the leader of the
Indigenous People of Biafra,
IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, would be
released on condition that he
renounces the agitation for
“Biafra Republic.”
MEND, in a statement by
spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo,
yesterday, announced the
resolutions to end the revolt in
the South-South and South
East regions. The statement
came on a day security forces
were said to be deploying into
strategic positions in the Niger
Delta to prepare to use force
against militants if peace talks
failed. However, MEND said
the recalcitrant Niger Delta
Avengers, NDA, still has
opportunity to embrace peace,
failing which a combination of
military forces and volunteers
in the region would smoke
them out.
The statement said: “The
Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger
Delta (MEND) is the only
militant group from the Niger
Delta region presently engaged
in a dialogue with the Federal
Government of Nigeria -
through oil companies and
security agencies - with a view
to resolving the current Niger
Delta crisis.
“Thus far, the deliberations
have been fruitful, various
concessions and guarantees
have already been secured,
some of which include but not
limited to the release of Henry
Okah, Charles Okah and Obi
Nwabueze; review of the life
sentence handed to Mr.
Edmund Ebiware based on a
proposal put forward by the
Aaron Team representative for
Abia and Imo states, Senator
Adolphus Wabara;
conditional release of IPOB
leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu and
others if they renounce their
agitation for a ‘Biafra
Republic’”. Furthermore, MEND
said they agreed that Mr.
Government Ekpemupolo shall
not be arrested, harassed and/
or intimidated whenever he
makes himself available as a
delegate of the MEND Aaron
Team. The statement went on:
“That international arbitrator
and conflict negotiator,
American Dr. Judith Asuni,
shall be accepted as the
representative of the Niger
Delta Avengers (NDA) on the
MEND Aaron Team; that the
criminal charges against
Urhobo freedom fighter, Mr.
Kelvin Prosper Oniarah, shall
be reviewed.
“That the life sentence which
was handed to seven soldiers
in 2008, who actively
supported the Niger Delta
struggle, be reviewed under
the Presidential Amnesty
Programme. The affected
persons are: Suleiman Alabi
Akubo, Major. Mathias Peter,
Sgt Alexander Davou, L.cpl.
Moses Nwaigwe, L.cpl.
Nnamdi Anene, L.cpl. Taatihi
Emmanuel, L.cpl Caleb Bawa,
PTE.
“However, one of the most
immediate and urgent fallouts
of the ongoing dialogue is the
imperative for the Federal
Government and MEND to
jointly and separately take
proactive steps to rescue and
secure the region. This is in
the event that the recalcitrant
Niger Delta Avengers, NDA,
continues its senseless and
politically-motivated path of
attacks on the country’s oil
assets.
“To this end, both parties
agreed that the Special Forces
of the Nigerian Army should
commence the purely routine
but strategic military exercise,
code-named ‘Operation
Crocodile Tears’; while MEND
would commence a meet-the
government-actors-and-people
tour of the Niger Delta region
code-named ‘Operation
Moses’.
“‘Operation Crocodile Tears’ is
aimed at ensuring the combat
readiness of the Nigerian Army
in amphibious and internal
security operations in the
Niger Delta as well as check
criminal activities like
kidnapping, pipeline vandalism,
piracy and other forms of
criminal activities spearheaded
by the NDA in the region.
“MEND’s ‘Operation Moses’ is
essentially to inform, educate
and generally sensitise the
citizenry in the Niger Delta,
particularly the government,
the youth, oil companies,
elders and militant community
on the need to ceasefire and
support the President
Muhammadu Buhari
Administration in its
determined bid to proffer
sustainable solutions to the
current Niger Delta crisis.
“Consequently, MEND urges all
states, local governments, oil
and gas companies and law-
abiding citizens in the Niger
Delta region to go about their
lawful and legitimate concerns
without any iota of fear as we
have received firm assurances
from the Federal Government
that ‘Operation Crocodile
Tears’ is an innocuous
exercise in the national
interest.
“Meanwhile, MEND’s
‘Operation Moses ‘shall be
anchored by the Aaron Team 2
Dialogue, Peace and
Development Initiative, jointly
led by Mr. Odein Ajumogobia,
SAN, and HRH King Alfred
Papapreye Diette-Spiff, the
Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass in
Bayelsa State.
[*No confirmation yet, says
Presidency
ABUJA-Pr[/b]
ABUJA-Presidency has said it
was not formerly in the know
of any agreement with the
MEND as claimed by the Body.
MEND had in a statement on
Saturday stated that its
conditions for peace included
the release of Henry Okah
from a South African prison,
his brother, Charles Okah and
the Leader of IPOB, Nnamdi
Kanu from detention. It also
needed assurance from the
government that Tompolo
would not be arrested when he
showed up for the negotiations
with the federal government.
But speaking through the
Senior Special Assistant to
President Mohammadu Buhari,
Mallam Garba Shehu on the
latest statement by MEND on
the stage of the peace talks,
the presidency said it was yet
to get a confirmation of the
supposed truce. Shehu said
that the Office of the National
Security Adviser, NSA was yet
to receive confirmation on the
matter as at the time of filing
this report.
According to him, the Minister
of State for Petroleum
Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu
who was a stakeholder in the
matter could not be reached
on his cell phone. “I have been
trying to get the Minister of
State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe
Kachikwu, on phone. But he
did not pick his calls. And the
NSA’s office has no
confirmation as at now. May
be, later. But as at now, the
NSA’s office has no
confirmation of such
agreement to give me”, Shehu
told Sunday Vanguard on
phone
]b]visit to buhari[/b]
“Operation Moses shall
commence with a visit by the
distinguished members of the
Aaron Team 2 to President
Muhammadu Buhari at the
State House, Abuja between
August 22, 2016, and August
26, 2016.
“Thereafter, the Team shall
hold sessions with top
executives of major
indigenous and international
oil and gas companies
operating in Nigeria, including
the state oil company, Nigerian
National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) on August
29 and 30, 2016 in Abuja. The
focus of these sessions shall
include, to wit: Local content
development; Petroleum
Industry Bill; Corporate Social
Responsibility/Host community
relations, etc. “On September 5
and 6, 2016 in Abuja, the
MEND Aaron Team shall hold
sessions with the top echelon
of security agencies in Nigeria
as well as the top
management of the
intervention agencies in the
Niger Delta, namely: Ministry
of Niger Delta; Niger Delta
Development Commission
(NDDC) and the Presidential
Amnesty Office.
“The Minister of Justice/
Attorney General of the
Federation is expected to
personally attend these
sessions. The focus of the
sessions shall include:
Extension of presidential
amnesty to certain categories
of political prisoners in Nigeria;
Fundamental Human Rights;
NDDC Act in focus;
Presidential Amnesty
Proclamation 2009 in focus;
collapse of federal
infrastructure in the Niger
Delta in focus; Calabar-Lagos
rail line in focus; East/West
Road in focus, etc.
“After these critical sessions,
‘Operation Moses’ shall move
to tour the nine states in the
Niger Delta region,
commencing with Rivers State
between September 12, 2016
and September 14, 2016.
Between September 15, 2016
and September 18, 2016, the
Aaron Team shall be in
Bayelsa state.
“Between September19, 2016
and September 21, 2016, the
Team shall be in Delta State.
From Thursday, September 22,
2016 to Sunday, September 25,
2016, the Aaron Team shall be
in Akwa Ibom State. Between
September 26, 2016 and
September 29, 2016, the Team
shall be in Abia and Imo
states. Finally, between
October 3, 2016 and October
7, 2016 the Aaron Team shall
be in Edo and Ondo states.
“The central clearing house for
all activities connected with
‘Operation Moses’ shall be the
MEND Aaron Team 2
secretariat. Accordingly, the
Secretary of the Team, Timipa
Jenkins Okponipere, Esq.,
shall duly communicate with
all concerned persons and
institutions. “Ultimately, peace
and development in the Niger
Delta region is the final
destination of the ongoing
dialogue between MEND and
the Federal Government.”
troops set for crack down
Meantime, defence chiefs
were quoted, at the weekend,
as saying troops were
deploying into strategic
positions in the Niger Delta to
prepare to use force against
militants if the peace talks
failed. “We have allowed the
ongoing dialogue between the
Federal Government and the
militants. Our troops are in
position. My message to the
militants is to ensure they go
to the negotiation table,” the
Chief of the Defence Staff,
General Gabriel Olonisakin,
said during a visit to Bayelsa
State, on Friday.
On the possibility of using
force if talks between the
government and militants
break down, Minister of
Defence Mansur Dan-Ali, was
quoted as saying in Abuja: “It
cannot be ruled out.” Dan-Ali
said local people would work
alongside troops as part of a
grassroots community security
force, along the lines of an
approach used to fight the
Islamist group Boko Haram in
the North-East.
“We will fuse them into the
new security infrastructure for
the region,” he said.

NICE ONE!! but it does not end there, let the northerners and yorubas give up 60% of their ownership of oil firm to southerners. atleast its going to be fair to the people, and let buhari start taking measures to develop the south south.