imagine what they are calling refinery, lolz

ndu_chucks:

Its hard to completely disagree with your statement. We are in the process of defining the kind of federalism that will be most suitable for our unique country.

I would like to hear your disagreements and what process could that be? The National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review?

Pharoh:

I would like to hear your disagreements and what process could that be? The National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review?

I cannot offer 100% agreement with your statement until you fully reveal your vision of federalism, as far as Nigeria is concerned. And yes, the process has begun and I believe the constitutional review you mentioned is part of the process.

While what they did was wrong, in my own opinion, let the govt suppport them. I personally do not see any criminal activity nor intent in their actions.

Just like to note that it seems that the Nigerian FG, has so much powers vested upon it yet lacks supervision and oversight, if Nigeria cannot even refine her own oil and someone elses does, like an adage my mom always say; when you beat a child with the right hand, you draw the child closer with the left. They should have fined them but then again encouraged them by granting them all necessary license, provide subsidies and so on since they have the technical and engineering know-how. For real if I was in Nigeria, I would swoop all them guys to come work for me, lol

Oops I forgot, Nigeria always wants to start something big, never small reason why small entrepreneurs like this guys can't compete because the minimum paid up capital is high.

Hey guys, lets argue logically, no point legalizing illegality, what some of these  desperate ND criminals indulge in, are even more cruel and gruesome than what the multi-national oil companies might have caused. Talking about Illegal refineries, i cant really see any meaningful talents in this, order than delinquent sabotage and nefarious ambition. Pls  check this link for urself.     
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUi1eT3d58M

illegal refinery functioning, but legal ones ill, na chineke go save us

@hedges007
you couldn't have said it any better than this.The niger delta struggle was a just cause that i initially SUPPORTED until it was hijacked by criminals who abandoned the cause only to engage in kidnapping,militancy,oil-bunkering,piracy,gun-running etc.The simple thing in this "in a democratic settings,problems are better solved through dialogue and the judiciary and never by arms struggle.What does illegal refineries got to do the ND struggle? What has kidnapping of foreigners,nigerians even toddlers got to do with the struggle when ransome are paid to free these people?.Are these not crime?

This is a good and welcome Development

Good develop indeed!.Rubbish

Talking about Illegal refineries, i cant really see any meaningful talents in this, order than delinquent sabotage and nefarious ambition.

.
For real? Then i doubt if you are a good judge of talent. You sit there in the comfort of your home, oblivous of what these boys have to pass through each day to survive. What they are doing may be illegal bbut you've got to give them credit for their ingenuity. If there were a law in the US vesting all powers of website creation on the government, then Mark Zuckerberg would be a criminal for creating Facebook but no less talented. If you have been unable to discover your talent, don't put down others that have.

What has kidnapping of foreigners,nigerians even toddlers got to do with the struggle when ransome are paid to free these people?.Are these not crime?

What has kidnapping got to do with oil bunkering? Have they kidnapped people in order to carry out their bunkering activities?

A sensible Government would see these boys as potential assets and train them to be the best in what they do, support them to refine their methods of production and make them more productive and less destructive and not see them as threats. All we have is a government that sees any alternative to themselves as a threat. What has the government been able to do with its own refineries? What is the production rate of the government owned refineries? After arresting these boys, they will throw them in jail (if they survive to make jail), the government owned refineries will continue in their state of dysfunctionality, nothing changes. I really don't blame them. When the foreign companies were exploiting the oil on their land and polluting their land and water for free without any returns to them (the Niger Deltans), nobody said anything. Did the government make any efforts to ensure that oil spills and other physical pollution for the exploitation of oil by the foreign companies were taken care of? They were not concerned, afterall, they were getting paid so they don't give a hoot who gets injured but now that these boys are producing without giving returns to the government, they label them criminals and send the JTF after them. What has government done with the money from the foreign multi nationals? How has it impacted positively on the lives of the common Niger Deltan? Call them criminals or what you will but i don't think you should judge them because you are living under better conditions than them. Maybe you should abandon your home and live a few months in the creeks. Maybe you'll understand why they do what they do.

WARRI – ABOUT 35 militants, belonging to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), armed with rocket launchers, heavy calibre machine guns and assault rifles attacked in the early hours of today, a major Shell/Chevron crude oil pipeline located in Abonema, Rivers state.

Spokesman of the militant group, Jomo Gbomo who confirmed the attack by the militants who carried out the operation in five boats said in online statement that it was a “warning strike” and that MEND would review the indefinite ceasefire it ordered on Sunday, October 25 within thirty days from December 19.
MEND remains open to dialogue, however the indefinite ceasefire ordered by the group on Sunday, October 25, 2009 will be reviewed within thirty days from today, December 19, 2009.

His words, “The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) can confirm that a warning strike carried out by five boats involving thirty five of its fighters armed with assault rifles, rocket launchers and heavy caliber machine guns was carried out at about 0200Hrs today, December 19, 2009 on a major Shell/Chevron crude pipeline in Abonemma, Rivers state of Nigeria”.

“This attack was carried out for the following reasons:
“While the Nigerian government has conveniently tied the advancement of talks on the demands of this group to a sick president, it has not tied the repair of pipelines, exploitation of oil and gas as well as the deployment and re-tooling of troops in the region to the presidents ill health.

“While wishing the President a speedy recovery, a situation where the future of the Niger Delta is tied to the health and well being of one man is unacceptable.

“The government through the Bayelsa state governor, ministers for defense and information has been disseminating propaganda aimed at foreign investors claiming that the situation in the Niger Delta is under control. This assertion is far from the truth.

“Also the government has been offering bribes to a number of militants who surrendered their birth rights under its amnesty program in the form of contracts. The government perceives these individuals to wield some kind of influence in the region.

“The group wants to make it abundantly clear that all those who have capitulated are of no significance to the continuation of the struggle.

“MEND is committed to continue its fight for the restoration of the land and rights of the people of the Niger Delta, which has been stolen for fifty years”, MEND stated.

The group, nevertheless, said it remained open to dialogue. The Aaron team, which it set up, led by the former Chief of General Staff, Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe (rtd) had started preliminary dialogue with President Umaru Yar’Adua before he recently ill and was admitted at a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

34 Responses for “MEND breakes ceasefire rule, attacks Shell/Chevron pipeline”
lawman says:
December 19, 2009 at 4:15 pmMy doubts about the amnesty revolves around the general feeling of discontet pervading the Country these days.
Things don’t seem to be improving and we find ourselves talking about the same issues year in and out.
Fuel price, marginalisation, election fraud , official corruption, bank failure etc
Until we can overcome these and start to make real progress, we will find it difficult to control deviant behaviour in whatever guise it manifests.
The Niger Delta agitation is real, but this contiual recourse to violence is a virus that can only be cured when people believe there is a future together and we all have a stake.
Disillusioned Nigerian? says:
December 19, 2009 at 3:57 pmBring it on guys, i like it when the fire keeps raging like this from my countrymen. We just cant continue like this anymore, Enough is goddamn enough!!!!
yusuf says:
December 19, 2009 at 3:54 pmits shameful that people can be so myopic by trancending to such low level petiness.the so called oil have not had any positive impact on the live of most notherners if it has why isnt that 90% of national poverty prevailence is in the north.using violence will do no one good,almost all the victims of this violence are still niger delta youths,whill nations are coming together forming regional economic blocks in afrika we are still carying on with violence,in the most babarick manner.yet some people still proudly support this primitive way of expression.iam a notherner and will gladly support resource control,and of course most norherners support this.no oil exporting nation is among the richest nations of the world,japan has no natural resources but depend only on it human resources and its the third richest nation.all this so called niger delta millitants are nothing but bunch of thieves and criminals and will never stop this their banditry because that is their only source of lively hood.but violence will only begets more violence.
Gibson Ikanone says:
December 19, 2009 at 3:52 pmTrue federalism is the way forward for Nigeria. How long will the Niger-Delta continue to feed the rest of Nigeria? When the oil drys up what will happen to the Niger-Delta people who will be left with a devastated environment and lack of basic infrastructure? Nigeria is one because of the Niger-Delta oil and as soon as the oil is milked to the last drop the rationale for One Nigeria will capitulate. The other regions of Nigeria should stop being lazy and parasitic but harness their human and natural potentials to survive.

ndu_chucks:

@dede and sapeleguy, ngwanu if you don't like the word mischief, let me reprase the statement:

Funny question designed to cause mischief distraction and dodge the issue at hand. Are the operators of the illegal "bootleg refineries" by definition not criminals? Why is this difficult for you all to admit?

It is apparently understood that your mindset is deluded on the issues concerning the colonial contraption called Nigeria. I would not be surprise if you fall into the class of Homo sapiens who would hear a gun shot and declare that a war has started.

The illegal structure that could distill crude oil into petrol and other chemicals would have provided photo ops to JTF commanders. And knowing the extroverted mentality of Nigerians, such opportunity to show Nigerians the fraudulent image of MEND could not be missed.

This is unfair man !

For God sake can this people, this government,explained what is illegal in this genuine business,as such you people have no moral justification to do that.when you don't have a functional refinery and your stopping a functional ones, are you not animalistic in natuer?