₦airaland Forum

. . .
In a related development the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) has condemned last Friday's bomb attacks in Abuja, describing the incident as callous and gruesome

JRC, the umbrella of militant groups in the Niger Delta in a statement said: "Our struggle is a moral and just one. We have had no place for gun-runners, toddlers-abductors, bank robbers, commercial hostage-takers, prison breakers and bare-face murderers who go on foolish murderous rampage while their families are safe and secure in foreign lands.

"The gruesome attack of last Friday was the handiwork of a son of the devil with active connivance of disgruntled dissident elements from one of the camps of a former MEND leader who has since relinquished leadership in the former MEND structure.

"An email address alone does not represent MEND. [size=14pt]In a few days that email will no longer be usable[/size]. What must be done will be done immediately. Terrorism is not a virtue for heroic combatants in the Ijaw and Niger Delta struggle.

"Millions of young men in the Niger Delta today possess the ability to deploy acts of unlimited violence on the Nigerian State. However, these men have decided to keep the peace because they can claim to be more Ijaw or more Niger Deltan than Goodluck Jonathan. They have given him the benefit of doubt and have pledged to work with him and guide him in his efforts in the Niger Delta. His commitment to the Niger Delta question, while still cloudy, remains unquestionable.

"In the next few days, the central command of the JRC will confer with Mujahid Dokubo-Asari to arrive at a final decision on this matter. Key decisions will be relayed to the press immediately."

Excerpt from news article here http://allafrica.com/stories/201010041283.html

Africanson:
@Beaf
What is MEND in Nigeria saying. Have they denied not commiting those bombings??

I actually created a thread about that here, https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-525747.0.html.
The Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) is the umbrella group that speaks for all Niger Delta militants (NDVF, MEND etc). I'll post the text from that thread here. Here goes;

. . .
In a related development the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) has condemned last Friday's bomb attacks in Abuja, describing the incident as callous and gruesome

JRC, the umbrella of militant groups in the Niger Delta in a statement said: "Our struggle is a moral and just one. We have had no place for gun-runners, toddlers-abductors, bank robbers, commercial hostage-takers, prison breakers and bare-face murderers who go on foolish murderous rampage while their families are safe and secure in foreign lands.

"The gruesome attack of last Friday was the handiwork of a son of the devil with active connivance of disgruntled dissident elements from one of the camps of a former MEND leader who has since relinquished leadership in the former MEND structure.

"An email address alone does not represent MEND. In a few days that email will no longer be usable. What must be done will be done immediately. Terrorism is not a virtue for heroic combatants in the Ijaw and Niger Delta struggle.

"Millions of young men in the Niger Delta today possess the ability to deploy acts of unlimited violence on the Nigerian State. However, these men have decided to keep the peace because they can claim to be more Ijaw or more Niger Deltan than Goodluck Jonathan. They have given him the benefit of doubt and have pledged to work with him and guide him in his efforts in the Niger Delta. His commitment to the Niger Delta question, while still cloudy, remains unquestionable.

"In the next few days, the central command of the JRC will confer with Mujahid Dokubo-Asari to arrive at a final decision on this matter. Key decisions will be relayed to the press immediately."

Excerpt from news article here http://allafrica.com/stories/201010041283.html

^
---Ignores a fool ---

Africanson:
@Beaf  
Sorry, but I met the tail end of Okah's interview on aljazeerah and he was speaking "onbehalf" of MEND

He can claim to speak on behalf of MEND, but that does not mean it is a fact. 419 people regularly claim to be Abacha's kids etc, but they aren't.
This dovetails into what govt is saying, that it is a foreign group pretending to be MEND. This is a statement MEND Commander Boyloaf made last year;

Okah is an "Arms Supplier," Says Boyloaf
16 August 2009

Abuja — Former commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), "General" Boyloaf, dropped a bombshell yesterday, saying the supposed leader of the group, Henry Okah, is not a freedom fighter but an arms supplier, who is not interested in the peace process in the Niger-Delta because it will close his line of business.

In an electronic mail statement made available to newsmen last night, the former MEND commander said he did all he could to ensure Henry Okah's release and had no regrets whatsoever for embracing amnesty after his (Okah) release by the Federal Government.

He said: "I am not a fool, I made a promise and I have to keep to my words no matter what Okah and others say.

"I have told you before that Okah was not a freedom fighter, but just an arms dealer who only traded on arms to the militants to enrich himself. Ask him, does he have a camp anywhere in the region? Do you leave in far away South Africa, trade on arms and call yourself leader?

How? "They are angry because I have come out to accept amnesty; they are struggling because their source of making money in the name of struggle is over".
. . .

http://allafrica.com/stories/200908171317.html

It is pretty damning stuff.

oyb:
dude me gay, do i look like the one whose head is permanently attached to gej's nuts

berra leave him before patience ropes you in with these bombers

I am advising you on what is best for you. A womans crutch is what you should go after when you're lacking. Stop following, cos that is unhealthy homo behaviour. Or are you unbalanced in any way?

Oyb stop following me around.
Are you a homo?

Africanson:
The president have stated MEND did not commit this murders. So, why is he holding Okah responsible at the same time?. There must be something else going on here

If you check all news articles carefully, they refer to Okah as ex-leader of MEND. Okah took off to SA, while MEND remained behind. Okah is no longer MEND.

oyb:
dude, you forgot to condemn sahara reporters that reviled purveyor of falsehoods

Go suck your womans crutch and stop following me around NL. Are you a homo?

This of course is an outright lie, and we challenge Okah to name the President’s aide that spoke to him on the subject.

It gets more interesting by the minute!

violent:
^^

I am. . . need anything?

debosky:
Hehehe. . . .there is nothing 'silly' in admitting that I hold an opinion. What is silly is when you attempt to pass on your opinion as fact simply because you think you can make more noise.  

Really? Not even if that opinion suggests that Nigeria has bribed the SA police force, Interpol, US and British intelligence agencies?
You're stunning! Keep away from groups at street corners and learn to read and actually think for yourself.

Your one saving grace is your random bursts of honesty. You at least realised at one point that the arguments you were putting forward were outlandish. Bravo!

debosky:
Thank you - I'll keep my 'street corner observation'. . .

I'm glad you realise the above. Lesson? Stop getting lines of argument from iya akara, then you wouldn't look so stup!d in public as to make daft admissions of guilt like the above.

Sagamite:
Dumbo, surely you must realise you do not detest foolishness more than me. I am known for that on NL.

It is because of daft posts that I felt your name can never sit in the same class as some people on that list.

Your village mentality that led you to blind support and promotion of GEJ, which for example led you to be allocating any thing positive in Nigeria to GEJ within a month of him taking office without any facts on the ground he had any hand in it. The fact you can not see anything he does as wrong.

Another that comes into mind is your daft insinuation that Abdul-Muttalab's father must have been aware of his son's plan to blow up the US plane. That was ridiculous enough, but you showed your asinine mentality when you compounded this by saying Sanusi the central bank governor might also be involved since he was the father's friend and they used to work together in First Bank.  You told us to wait and see. That the CIA would soon start investigating.

Then in your cretinous world, you were talking about USA invading Nigeria because of that attempted bombing.

These are the things that show you do not have a cutting edge mind that is usually formulated with facts, objectivity and analysis, not arrant conjectures, emotional rants and bigotry.

Honestly, Ileke-Idi needs to be flogged for thinking you had any brains in your head.

I'm flattered that you follow my every utterance.
However, you'll be saddened to realise I don't give a fck about you and can't recall any of your posts or even your user  name. I just don't know you.

Sorry, I dont do autographs.

. . .
In a related development the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) has condemned last Friday's bomb attacks in Abuja, describing the incident as callous and gruesome

JRC, the umbrella of militant groups in the Niger Delta in a statement said: "Our struggle is a moral and just one. We have had no place for gun-runners, toddlers-abductors, bank robbers, commercial hostage-takers, prison breakers and bare-face murderers who go on foolish murderous rampage while their families are safe and secure in foreign lands.

"The gruesome attack of last Friday was the handiwork of a son of the devil with active connivance of disgruntled dissident elements from one of the camps of a former MEND leader who has since relinquished leadership in the former MEND structure.

"An email address alone does not represent MEND. [size=14pt]In a few days that email will no longer be usable[/size]. What must be done will be done immediately. Terrorism is not a virtue for heroic combatants in the Ijaw and Niger Delta struggle.

"Millions of young men in the Niger Delta today possess the ability to deploy acts of unlimited violence on the Nigerian State. However, these men have decided to keep the peace because they can claim to be more Ijaw or more Niger Deltan than Goodluck Jonathan. They have given him the benefit of doubt and have pledged to work with him and guide him in his efforts in the Niger Delta. His commitment to the Niger Delta question, while still cloudy, remains unquestionable.

"In the next few days, the central command of the JRC will confer with Mujahid Dokubo-Asari to arrive at a final decision on this matter. Key decisions will be relayed to the press immediately."

Excerpt from news article here http://allafrica.com/stories/201010041283.html

warrior01:
something is really fishy here. two days prior to the bombings, Aljazeera claimed they interviewed Mend fighters and now this. The fact is somebody somewhere is using Aljazerra to discredit the Nigerian govt.
Ok lets reason together;

Afegbua admits on Aljazeera that Henry Okah is a former MEND leader, his words not mine. Jonathan states that MEND is not culpable but a small band of terrorists living outside the country and gingered on by unpatriotic elements in the country. Timi Alaibe, Jonathan's adviser on the Niger Delta said as much too. That MEND had nothing to do with it and that it was Henry Okah through and through.

Now, why would Jonathan reach out to Henry Okah whereas he does not recognize Henry as the leader of MEND? Whereas Alaibe admits that the face of MEND has already thrown in the towel and repented? Afegbua having acknowledged that Henry Okah is a former MEND leader, why would his principal, IBB, affirm that MEND has taken responsibility for that bombing? How does/did he know it was MEND that actually claimed responsibility for it? If Jomo Gbomo is Henry's pen name why recognize Henry from the shadows as the voice of MEND whereas his spokesman acknowledges he was a former MEND leader?

Who is MEND and who speaks for it? Jomo Gbomo? I would think not. Henry Okah? I would equally think not. There are no contradictions to the things Mr President has said. He views Henry Okah as a terrorist and mercenary who does not represent or speak for MEND. Odili should come forth and answer questions as to his funding of militants in the Delta creeks and not continue to host Aljazeera to fake camp sites that are not and have never been a MEND asset.
u have tried the first two options with no luck, then this will not fail you. This option however may not be free but I can guarantee you that you will get whatever you pay for. You can find address, not for free, from phone numbers by using the search bar provided on reverse lookup sites to get information such as the name and address of the owner of the phone number. To be able to make such searches, you will have to become a member by registering on such sites. This usually comes with a token fee which is not more than $20 in most cases. However, this payment affords you access to unlimited searches without restrictions while your membership lasts.
Always use only reputable reverse lookup sites. Before you use a site, you can do a good search on the name of the reverse lookup site to see if it is a scam or not. This will prevent you from becoming a victim of fake and scam reverse lookup sites.

Brilliant stuff!

^
I remember basically calling you a fool and you thanking me for it, cos you thought it was a compliment.
. . .So no biggie.

Ayowumie:
And so what?
I wonder how some people could just make comment any how. For your information, Aljazeera is a credible media house. The fact that Aljazeera is a Muslim owned media does not discredit its position on objective journalism.

What exactly makes them credible? During the Yar Adua saga, were they not the source of a lot of crap news and analysis?
They failed before and they will fail again. Nigeria is not a religious state.

If someone was to post a quote from a Christian news site, would you see it as credible? No religious news agency is unbiased, and none is credidible.

jabbok:
I agree with you. Please I'll like you to air your view on the scenarioa I am about to paint now. Just your view.

Jonathan goes for total rebirth, dumps PDP, insists on one man one vote

For the security of the country, Jonathan cannot decamp. He cannot afford to make any sudden moves, lest all the good work done to bind us since the Yar Adua matter, be undone.

Maybe he can decamp some months after the elections (if he wins). But, in this election period, its an absolute no-no and a call for confusion and mayhelm.

violent:
I'm not asking for 5 months magic, and of cos, neither am i asking for a President who approves spending billions on waste bins and more billions importing rice from Brazil!

what next?. . .the president will prob want to celebrate Christmas at some point!

just remembered. . isn't it the same Jonathan that got a 7 billion naira house?. . .i don't want such presidents!

7 billion naira if spent at 200 million will build 35 state of the art schools with the the best technology across the country!

but hey no, our President deserves a good house!

1 billion naira if budgeted for student loans at 10 million per Nigerian child will see 100 million Nigerians going to school in their life time, guess what? we just spent the money on dustbins---quite appropriate you think?

Once again, I'm not asking for miracles, all I'm asking for is a man who is smart enough to make better decisions that will have a better long term value for the average Nigerian, surely, that can't be too much to ask, don't you think?

oh!. . i haven't even stated the amounts shamelessly spent on rice

I'm sure that spending money is sometimes strategic to maintaining the peace. It is just a few months from the Yar Adua saga, which if handled wrongly would have led to rivers of blood; but for some reason, we Nigerians seem to forget very quickly. The forces that held the nation to ransome during Yar Adua's time are deeply entrenched in every financial and power structure in the country. It will take time to uproot them and they have proven, time and again, that they can put up a very dirty fight; from the Jos massacre's to the military movements that accompanied the smuggling of Yar Adua back into the country. . . And now the bombing of our golden jubilee celeberations.

Removing the cabal will be painstaking, but it is the only way we can progress as a nation, because they have tied us down like an animal for sacrifice. Jonathan has done well in removing their tentacles, so they've wheeled all the biggest shots into the PDP race and even released a two week ultimatum for Jonathan to withdraw or witness unquantifyiable mayhem in the country and possible secession. Is the bombing part of their promise?

jabbok:
Can u stick your neck out that Interpol, CIA name them can't be bribed? How do you define bribery? Once there is an interest in economics or geopolitically, international bodies can always be compromised. IF CIA can falsify reports on Saddam's WMD, who is Okah to them? Mind you, all these CIA, M16, interpol, KGB pokenosing is because of one thing - our Oil!

Dude, you cannot talk that "our oil" crap at this time. If the cards fall back in place, it would be ok, however, it is best to accept the worst; which is the beggining of a split. If that occurs, certain sections of Nigeria might be badly affected, cos the US might need buffers against the likes of Boko Haram moving southward to destabilise an oil source.
Forget about the "our oil" thing for now.

[size=14pt]Q+A-What are the consequences of Nigeria's bomb attacks?[/size]
05 Oct 2010 12:23:30 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Nick Tattersall

LAGOS, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Car bombs claimed by Nigeria's main militant group may not be the start of a crippling campaign of violence against the oil industry but they could pose a wider threat to political stability in the run-up to elections.

Following are some questions and answers about the bomb attacks, who could be responsible, and what the consequences might be for the oil sector and the political landscape.

WHO MIGHT BE RESPONSIBLE?

The bombs near a parade to mark Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence were claimed by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which carried out years of attacks on oil facilities until accepting an amnesty in 2009.

News outlets including Reuters received an emailed bomb warning about an hour before the explosions. It was sent from the same Yahoo! email address used by MEND to claim previous attacks and was signed Jomo Gbomo, the pseudonym used by the group's spokesmen in statements to the media.

South African prosecutors have charged Nigerian militant leader Henry Okah, who now lives in Johannesburg, with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and the detonation of explosive devices in Abuja. His lawyer denied his involvement.

Security experts believe Okah was at one time the brains behind MEND, though he has denied ever being its leader.

But President Goodluck Jonathan has denied that the bomb attacks had anything to do with the Niger Delta, saying the perpetrators used the MEND banner as a cover.

He said a "small terrorist group" outside Nigeria -- an apparent reference to Okah -- carried out the attacks and was sponsored by "unpatriotic elements within the country".

The authorities suspect those close to Jonathan's main rival in elections due next year, ex-military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, may be involved. The secret service on Monday detained his campaign manager and questioned him about the attacks before releasing him on administrative bail without charge.

WHO ARE MEND?

MEND is basically a franchise under which a number of armed gangs led by warlord-like field commanders have operated in the creeks of the Niger Delta in recent years, blowing up oil pipelines, kidnapping oil workers and trading in stolen oil.

The group says it is fighting for a fairer share of the natural wealth in the delta, a vast network of mangrove swamps which is home to Africa's biggest oil and gas industry.

The region is one of Nigeria's poorest despite five decades of oil extraction, and its polluted swamps and villages -- most lacking electricity or clean water -- are perhaps Africa's most heinous example of the resource curse.

But MEND's carefully honed Robin Hood image -- struggling on behalf of impoverished villagers against oil firms and corrupt politicians -- belies a darker reality.

Some gangs under its banner were originally set up with backing from politicians to help rig elections. Its campaigns, far from improving the lives of ordinary Niger Deltans, have helped turned the region into a virtual military zone.

Its main field commanders, including Farah Dagogo, Government Tompolo and Ateke Tom, accepted amnesty last year, leading their followers to hand over weapons in return for promises of stipends and re-training.

Okah also accepted amnesty last year after gun-running and treason charges against him were dropped, but messages denouncing the amnesty continued from the Jomo Gbomo email account, believed to be written by Okah or his associates.

"Everyone in the structure knows Jomo Gbomo is Henry Okah. There is no MEND sitting anywhere in any camp. It's all Henry Okah, through and through," Jonathan's special adviser on the Niger Delta, Timi Alaibe, was quoted as saying.

The split between Okah and the commanders who accepted amnesty means it is unclear what capacity the group has left.

[size=14pt]"Whoever is behind the Jomo Gbomo email, whether Henry Okah or someone else, would appear to be getting marginalised by the other militant leaders that were central to MEND," said Peter Sharwood-Smith, Nigeria manager for security consultancy Drum-Cussac.[/size]

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?

MEND's attacks in early 2006 were its most spectacular, knocking out almost a quarter of Nigerian oil output in a matter of weeks. Sustained acts of sabotage over the next three years prevented the OPEC member's output from fully recovering, costing it an estimated $1 billion a month in lost revenues.

In an email to Reuters, Jomo Gbomo said the Abuja attacks had been "symbolic and opportunistic" and intended as a one-off high-profile reminder rather than the start of a renewed campaign of sabotage in the Niger Delta.

While further strikes against oil installations cannot be ruled out, security analysts see the prospect of sustained attacks with a significant impact on oil output as unlikely.

But the political consequences could be more severe.

MEND's claim for the attacks was an embarrassment for Jonathan, one of the main architects of the amnesty last year and the first Nigerian head of state from the Niger Delta.

The secret service's questioning of Raymond Dokpesi, Babangida's election campaign manager, has raised the stakes.

"Jonathan's political opponents are attempting to use the Abuja bombings to discredit him, alleging that the government ignored multiple warnings by both MEND and British intelligence given days in advance," intelligence firm Stratfor said.

"Dokpesi's arrest, meanwhile, is a sign that Jonathan suspects Babangida's camp of ties with Okah, and is the clearest sign yet that Jonathan is willing to play politics with the Abuja attacks as well."

The stand-off does not bode well for Nigeria as it prepares for elections already set to be the most fiercely contested since the end of military rule more than a decade ago. (For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/ ) (Editing by Giles Elgood)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6940XB.htm

debosky:
I repeat the question - what evidence was used to place the charges? Do you know? No evidence has been presented. That remains factual.

Why don't you find that out first before stolking rumours. You find out the evidence when the court case starts or you read the case files that have been released. If you have seen neither, your question is foolish and just another street corner observation.

debosky:
I have never claimed to have all the details, simply put - you cannot disprove any of the so called 'rumours' because you DON'T have any details yourself.

If that simple principle is too difficult for you to comprehend, I refer you to the current rave of the moment on nairaland - go hug a transformer.  

The difference between me and you, is I don't claim to know what is going on behind walls. I stick to verifiable stories and don't go about stup!dly claiming that it is possible that SA police, Interpol, US and British intelligence agencies were bribed or somehow induced. How wild can claims get?

^
Every single one of the problems you mentioned needs time to solve and quite a few have the potential to rock the nation if approached too early (e.g. Yar Adua's phone call or exactly when he died). Look at the amount of violence the PDP contest alone is producing.

debosky:
So Tafa Balogun (ex Inspector General) going to jail proves that Nigerian law enforcement works? Utter stupidity on your part.

Yes, at the time Tafa Balogun was jailed, our law enforcement and justice systems were beginning to tow the right path. But no doubt, fools like yourself, rather than herald and nuture the new era, were present with their anal arguments and hurrahs when the likes of Ribadu was hounded into exile. We have a country that produces a lot of loud fools.

debosky:
I don't need to claim anything - all I have shown is that Interpol and SA police cannot be deemed above corruption, as their previous head has displayed through his actions. Whether they are corrupt in this particular case is up for debate - I have made no claims either way.

It was a foolish example to use. If you claim that bribes (or other inducements) could have been given to both SA police and SA Interpol, I ask again; what about the American and British Intelligence agencies? Were they bribed too? This is approaching the worst of beer palour stuff.
Empty heads like yourself will always clutch at the most tenous straws to build a rumour. Imagine Nigeria bribing the Intelligence services of 3 countries. Dude, you're indeed stup!d!

debosky:
The pertinent fact is, there is NO EVIDENCE at the moment against Okah, unless you have it, in which case, present it openly, The only evidence we have is that nothing was found in Okah’s house.

"No evidence?" You mean you now have access to local and foreign intelligence files? Dude, that there were no weapons found with Okah is 100% different from there being zero evidence. The man is now in court, is it based on "no evidence?" Has he been charged for bearing the name, Henry Okah?
Astonishing!

debosky:
Diplomatic pressure could’ve been applied on the South Africans to arrest Okah; this is not evidence of guilt in any guise.

Just what was the involvement of the foreign intelligence agencies? Have they come out to say Okah was involved? Have they told you that GEJ or his agents are NOT involved?

I thought you and your beer palour and street corner sources had all the details of the unfolding case? Funny guy!

Education failed during IBB's regime, not even after. We should never have changed the previous method.
The 6-3-3-4 system has produced two generations of Nigerians that cannot apply logic, except they are naturally gifted.

jabbok:
Now. I am not speaking for Okah or defending him.He is a suspect in any allegation against him until proven otherwise.  But CIA or no CIA, do you really think that SA police will go after Okah without a diplomatic request from Nigeria Govt?  You dont know how big the Federal might is. Only a few oppose it and come out without serious burns

Dude, the Federal might does not extend to SA.

debosky:
The same SA police/Interpol that their former head just went to jail for collecting money from a gangster and spending on flashy suits?  

The same SA police implicated in corrupt deals and improper conduct? Oh yeah - they are the epitome of integrity and incorruptibility.

Pray tell, what did the SA police find in their midnight raid of Okah's home? What basis have they used to arraign him in court beyond a request from Nigerian authorities?

And just why will 'Nigerian authorities' not consider contacting Okah if it supports their  pre-determined theories? The same daft Nigerian authorities that revealed patently moronic text messages on network news as 'proof' of culpability?  

One moment you call Nigeria's set up wishy washy, next thing you're bestowing them with intelligence they obviously don't have. . . .make up your mind Beaf.  

You are much dafter than you think. Anything that remotely implicates GEJ is viewed as rubbish, while we are supposed to accept  the shambles presented by GEJ's paid apologists?  

You prove your foolishness even more with each post. So the former head of SA police/Interpol went to jail? Is he the current head? Does it not prove that they are not the goons we have in Nigeria and their law enforcement actually works?

Are you now claiming that SA police and Interpol have taken bribes from the Nigerian govt? Fcking ridiculous!

Even more than the above, is the involvement of American and British intelligence agencies. Have they too, taken bribes from Jonathan. The more you stretch a story, the more stup!d it becomes and the lower you place yourself.

appletango:
I'm confused. The OP original statement referred to an interview aired on an international news channel. How is this rumor mongering? This is clearly news and warrants our attention. ANY sound minded Nigerian would want these allegations to be investigated by the security services. I don't understand your blind conviction/unconditional love to the president. Are you related?

Aljazeera was also very "useful" during the Yar Adua saga, even the reknowned BBC was "useful" in speaking to Yar Adua on the phone.
To your unblinkered mind, would anyone call someone who is under Interpol, SA police, Scotland Yard and CIA watch to build a fasle story? Would you call someone who a combined team of SA police and Interpol had just raided and searched for hours, to fix a story?
Certain things are as obvious as daylight.

This must have rung alarm bells with the security services; militants successfully met with the campaign teams of some presidential candidates. Serious questions need be asked.
Why should members of the public hold meetings with groups of militants? There is no guise under which this is acceptable.

[size=14pt]2011: Militants hold secret meetings with IBB, Buhari[/size]
•Ex-military president given conditions
By Tribune 05/09/2010 17:00:00
Written by Idowu Samuel and Emmanuel Adeniyi Monday, 06 September 2010

THERE are indications that President Goodluck Jonathan is yet to strike a deal with leaders of key militant groups in the Niger Delta to strengthen his chances of winning the South-South zone if he decides to run in the 2011 presidential election.
Indications to this effect emerged in the light of efforts by leaders of the militants, who had given up on the government amnesty initiative to engage presidential aspirants from the North in exploratory talks on how to fit into their presidential programmes.

Two leaders of militant groups which surrendered arms in the wake of the Federal Government’s amnesty had arrived in Abuja last week to hold talks with northern presidential aspirants, including General Ibrahim Babangida and General Muhammadu Buhari.

[size=14pt]Nigerian Tribune learnt through aides of the aspirants that the militants complained that they were not being consulted by President Jonathan.[/size]

The militant heads were said to have canvassed a view that their full participation in the ongoing political process would enhance their resolve to finally discard the toga of militancy, just as they reportedly expressed dismay that their efforts to dissolve into the campaign programme of President Jonathan were not being appreciated.

It is not certain which specific roles the militants desired to play in the presidential campaigns of the aspirants, whom they reportedly met. [size=14pt]However, it was disclosed that tentative agreements were reached by the campaign team of General Buhari that they should make a bold appearance during his inaugural campaign summit scheduled to take place in Abuja any moment from now.

Checks within the IBB campaign organisation revealed that none of the militant leaders was able to meet the Minna general in person, but reportedly met his aides in Abuja and told them about their desire to feature in his campaign programmes.[/size]

When the militants met with the representatives of the ex-president recently, Nigerian Tribune gathered that they vowed to support him if he agreed to a one-term tenure and hand over power to a candidate from the South-South geopolitical zone in 2015.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that Babangida was told to rescind his decision of handing over to a candidate from the South-East, choose a vice-president from South-South, implement the white paper of the Ledun Mittee committee and create additional states in the South-South geopolitical zone.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that the militants were working with notable South-South governors, who were said to be working underground for different northern presidential aspirants following their irreconcilable differences with President Jonathan.

http://news.nigeriadailynews.com/news/4943-2011_militants_hold_secret_meetings.html

monkeyleg:
@Beaf,

All your insults dont mean a thing. The truth fill finally come out. As dem talk, "na fly wey no dey hear word dey follow deadbody enter grave".

So why not wait for it? Why start foolish rumours that will likely get some NLers based in 9ja in trouble? I'll remind you, there is only one chance in life to be a kid and that time has passed. Grown men do not start fires when blood has been spilt.

edoyad:
*listening to arguments and amazed at the quality of the analyses so far*

It is shocking indeed.

jabbok:
Everybody Look! Somebody wants to derail this thread. Normal tactics of attacking people like they attacked people on Oct 1 bombings. Let us stick to the issue. Jonathan started the blame game. If we believe him, why cant we believe Okah. We will continue to believe them in turns. Oya Jonathan tell us that Okah is a bloody liar. We are waiting to hear that. More confusion for the ruling class is all I pray for

The bolded is highly interesting. I am sure you know what it implies and in case you don't know, I hope you find out.

monkeyleg:
@Beaf,

Give up, your blind loyalty is fast making you the butt joke of this forum.

Imagine vulcaniser and rewire sef de talk.

otokx:
but really, our moderators should be more proactive and lock down reports which are unverifiable.

Exactly. NL is fast becoming a ground to start baseless rumours.