Sun News
17 March 2011
The John Togo-led militant group, Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) has cautioned the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) over its latest threat that it would detonate bombs at political gatherings.
In a statement entitled: “No! Stop Roasting Nigerians with Bombs to Make a Point,” signed by its spokesman, Mark Anthony, NDLF pleaded with MEND to moderate its operations and refrain from using tactics associated with terrorism.
NDLF noted that while it agreed with MEND’s position that President Goodluck Jonathan had rebuffed all the calls for a post-amnesty conference, it stated that killing of innocent Nigerians would not change the situation.
It, therefore, advised MEND to limit its attacks on oil installations, adding that the group would also resume its own attacks if Jonathan continued to foot-drag on the Niger Delta problem.
In a veiled attack on the amnesty programme, NDLF which said it suspended its attacks because of the intervention of Mr. Kingsley Kuku, Mr. Joseph Eva and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, stated that only Ijaws had benefitted from the amnesty programme.
According to it, though some people had labelled the group as out to frustrate the political ambition of Jonathan, NDLF was out to reposition the arms struggle for a better deal for the Niger Delta region.
The statement reads in part: “NDLF wants to say that MEND has a point in their threat. But we want to plead with MEND to moderate its operations to avoid acts of terrorism. MEND must also understand the fact that the principal rule behind Niger Delta struggle is to fight for freedom and justice by destroying the economy through bombing of oil installations and not killing innocent persons through bomb attacks. Any act of killing innocent Nigerians is not part of the Niger Delta struggle. It is a different agenda and we will condemn it in its entirety.
“You can see that it is only the Ijaws that are benefitting from the Federal Government post-amnesty largesse. What about other ethnic nationalities – Urhobos, Isokos, Itsekiris, and few others that make up the Niger Delta oil bearing communities? Does mere skill acquisition training and educational training solve the problem of Niger Delta communities? The answer is No. That is why we are calling for a conference of post-amnesty to look at the remote and immediate causes of the problem and proffer a lasting solution to the lingering arms problem in the region.
It continued: “We therefore, appeal to MEND to rescind its planned political gatherings attack and moderate the attacks to only oil installations which shall compel government to change her stiff policies on Niger Delta. NDLF is not yet tired of fighting for the liberation of Niger Delta. But we took a break due to the intervention of prominent Nigerians, especially Mr. Kingsley Kuku, coordinator of the amnesty programme, Pastor Oritsejafor Ayo and Joseph Eva who appealed to us on behalf of Mr. President to stop further bombing of oil installations and that Mr. President will address the lingering Niger Delta crisis.
“We are also calling on Mr. President to make his decisions snappy to avoid our actions coinciding with the forthcoming elections as all of us want to vote for our candidate on the election day, instead of blowing oil installations in the creeks.”
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