₦airaland Forum

Beaf:
You don't even have the morals to codemn Ribadu's words.

Abagworo:
The only thing that annoys me about this whole issue is that people utter senselessly how killing of over 2million Igbos is justified because of a military coup spearheaded by a Delta Igbo in which non-Igbos were killed.It is thesame as killing the entire Kanuri ethnic group because of Abacha.People come on NL to argue how massacre of Igbo civilians was right.

Ibime:
Dokubo better forget campaigning (1.) For that murderer called Sekibo (2.) Against the popular Amaechi.

It seems Dokubo has truly gone mad. I'm sure he would remember how many of his boys were slaughtered by Ateke in 2003 with the backing of Sekibo.

Onlytruth:


ndu_chucks where have you been hiding? The more you talk, the more I think you are really Igbo. Just can't figure out the rest about you.

hercules07:
I am of the opinion that what we need is an efficient government that can run public utilities properly and not to privatise everything under the sun, netotse please set the ball rolling.

Dede1:
There is a big different between battles fought with sticks and ropes by village empires such as Oyo and modern warfare that includes AK-47.

MaziUche0:
Speaking out of both sides of his mouth.

"No amount of obfuscation and diversionary tactics will prevent the full investigation of that crime against our fatherland on October 1.

"For those who insist that there was a rush to judgment on the part of the President on this matter, it bears restating that what he sought to do was to reassure Nigerians that the perpetrators will be found, a process which could be hampered by a rather casual attribution of the violence to MEND.

"As President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, it is his bounden duty to speak out in times of danger in order to reassure the populace of the government's commitment to their safety and wellbeing.

"This is the practice wherever you have a responsible government that is committed to the welfare of its people.

"Our campaign organization stands by the President. The campaign urges him not to be swayed by the loud protestations in certain quarters clearly orchestrated to divert and confuse the real issue: that an act of war was launched against Nigeria on October 1, which claimed the lives of many innocent Nigerians. Its masterminds and perpetrators must be fished out and punished.

"Those promising to make the country ungovernable for President Jonathan, as Alhaji Kaita openly boasted recently must be ready to keep a date with the law.

"We are after all a country governed by laws, and the laws of treason are very clear in this regard.


"We were all witnesses to the high wire political mischief played in years gone by, all aimed at achieving effortless regime change.

"We remember how fifth columnists executed searches on the homes of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and others, to achieve predetermined ends.

"We also recall how, in that epoch, the issue of 53 suitcases was contrived to ease a putsch against Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

"Clearly we are on the march again, and the same characters of yesteryears are the game players once again. But this time, Nigerians can not be fooled.

"Our people remain eternally vigilant, and we call on the security agencies not to hesitate to charge anyone found culpable with the relevant laws of the land," the statement added

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201010070108.html

Abuja — President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said he never exonerated the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) for the October 1 bombings in Abuja, pointing out that what he meant was that fifth columnists should not hide under the cover of MEND to wreak havoc.

Jonathan who spoke through his campaign organisation in a statement issued by the director of media and publicity, Mr. Sully Abu, said rather than look only at MEND, government is aware of statements by some top ranking Nigerians capable of affecting the social harmony in the system.

Abu said some of Jonathan's political opponents should not turn such a national calamity into causes to divert people's attention from serious solutions to such problems or divert the attention of security agencies working on the matter.

He also warned people like Alhaj Kaita, whom the campaign organization claimed boasted to be ready to face the law to explain their position, as such statements could be considered treasonable.

Part of the statement read: "Recent statements by some of our political opponents over the terrorist bombing near Eagle Square in Abuja on October 1 have tended to politicize what is a simple matter of crime and its investigation.

"When President Jonathan, during a visit to the National Hospital to commiserate with victims of the bombing, said the terrorist act should not merely be ascribed to MEND, what he was simply saying was that nobody should use the name of any organization to cover up a heinous crime. He was not absolving MEND or any other group of blame or culpability.

"The first time the President spoke on the bombings was at the ECOWAS parliament in Abuja. There, he had pointed out that a heinous crime had been committed against the country and innocent lives had been lost.

"He thus considered it a gratuitous insult for anyone to claim that it was done by MEND, or had anything to do with the Niger Delta. This is even more, since government was in touch with the leadership of MEND (all of whom had renounced violence), and they all agreed that the organization had nothing to do with the blasts.

"The President sought to put the correct emphasis on the urgent need to get to the bottom of that sordid act of terror and to unearth the perpetrators, because after all, anyone can hide under the umbrella of MEND or any other organization or body for that matter to cover up acts of malfeasance.

"It is high time we did away with the rather lazy approach of explaining away criminal activity by blaming armed robbers or assassins as if such categorization takes away from the severity of the offence.

"Such an approach has somehow affected the investigation of some high profile murders committed in this country in recent memory including the murder of such prominent citizens as the late Dele Giwa, Alfred Rewane, Bola Ige, Marshal Harry and A. K. Dikibo, amongst others.

"With regards to the claims and vituperations of Henry Okah, a member of MEND who was granted pardon under the amnesty programme initiated by former President, late Umaru Yar'Adua, the point is if he has committed a crime and is in anyway linked to the bombing of October 1 he will be brought to justice.

Faeb:
No, this is Faeb.
Anyways, I can see your temper has cooled down at last. No more crazy tribalistic rants about oil and groundnuts out of jealousy for loss of power.
Go and tell you people to learn how to play clean politics, cos they will soon all be locked up.

Faeb:
I would expect they have done that, such evidence is only for the courts though.

Beaf:
It would be naive to blame Jonathan for IBB's absence. ALL past heads of state and presidents were there.

To my mind, what happened at Eagle Square was meant to be much more bloody. Perhaps taking all dignitaries present with GEJ, hence IBB and Atiku didn't turn up. It is even foolish to assume that both men needed an invitation, afterall ordinary members of the public were able to attend.

grafikdon:
Lol. . . it has nothing to do with vio vio. It is actually as soft as beans or rice when it cooked but it takes forever (like 5 hrs. or more). Some Igbo people do eat without drinking water, that is why they sh.i.t rocks and you can smash windows with their poop. They have so many fancy names like "gbajie mkpilisi nku" (break firewood).

grafikdon:
Vio vio a.k.a agbugbu That stuff is like cooking rocks and limestone. Takes forever but tastes good when prepared with "ji ocha'' (white yam) and fresh palm oil.

Ibime:
There is only one recognised MEND, namely the Henry Okah/Jomo Gbomo axis.

Tompolo and the rest have only worked for/as MEND, they cannot claim to be MEND.

Jomo Gbomo has always been the heart, soul and brains behind MEND.
If Jonathan claims that MEND were paid to carry out this attack, there is only one thing to make us believe: Simply arrest the so-called politicians behind this.

Otherwise, we would take this as an overzealous attack by MEND, done out of pure zeal.


The only other question that should be asked is why Henry Okah of known location in South Africa (who have extradition treaty with Nigeria) would carry out such attack. It is either Henry Okah is not involved, or he does not value his life or freedom.

Lets await further revelations.

One thing is clear though, namely that Jonathan cannot claim that these attacks are from his opponents without making any arrest.

"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," Alaibe said.

He said the bombing "has nothing to do with the amnesty, but it has everything to do with politics. The bombers are not the boys we are dealing with."

The presidential aide called Okah a "gun runner" who specialised in procuring operatives for terrorist acts.

"Somebody is carrying out a terrorist act. It is no agitation. It is outside agitation completely. It is pure terrorism," Alaibe said, explaining, "Our effort to resolve the Niger Delta crisis is impacting on the region because since we started, we have seen the crisis really abate."

Alleging that Okah's MEND had lost public goodwill, Alaibe recalled Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka's deadline to MEND to go straight on the Niger Delta peace efforts or he would resign his nomination by the group as a member of the negotiating team between MEND and the federal government.

However, sources in the Niger Delta say the federal government is dragging its feet on promises to repentant militants and unconsciously creating incentive for the people to go back to old acts like the one in Abuja on Friday.

"While we strongly condemn Henry Okah and his so-called MEND, we exercise some reservation over how the federal government has responded to the understandings reached with those who have surrendered arms in line with the amnesty initiative," a man, who preferred anonymity for fear of repercussions from the militants and the government, told THISDAY in Port Harcourt.


Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201010030026.html

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Mr. Timi Alaibe, said on Saturday that Friday's bloody blasts in Abuja could only be the handiwork of one man masquerading as the Niger Delta armed group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

He said the Niger Delta peace process, anchored on an amnesty programme by the federal government, was still on course with the core of the former fighters on board.

He disclosed that security agencies had intelligence on the attack and had removed and detonated explosives in vehicles at major locations like the State House car park and Transcorp Hilton motor park, saying the bombers managed to plant their devices in vehicles parked away from the anniversary venue.

But Alaibe told THISDAY that all the leaders of MEND, except Mr. Henry Okah, had accepted the federal government amnesty programme for repentant militants and were cooperating with the government.

The amnesty was designed for those who had borne arms in the Niger Delta and were ready to turn their backs on armed struggle.

Alaibe said the men who were the faces of MEND, namely, Mr Victor Ben Ebikabowei (alias General Boyloaf), Government Ekpumopolo, and Farah Dagogo, had surrendered their arms and were working closely with the federal government in the implementation of the amnesty package.

I am going to announce publicly today that I am going to resign with a week notice from being an observer because the parties involved are quite insincere but there is some foot dragging one way or the other. I am a very impatient kind of person and I have seen some foot dragging.

“So, I am going to tell MEND that look, if within a week, you have not made up your minds, I am pulling out as an observer because I hate to see a wasted opportunity. If I don’t see discernable motions, my message to the people in the creeks, I am pulling out as an observer.”