Leadership
17 March 2011
Port Harcourt, Yenagoa and Lagos — Less than 72 hours after the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) threatened to bomb Abuja, Lagos and oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, the militant group has claimed responsibility for the multiple explosions that rocked Agip's flow stations yesterday.
The Joint Military Task Force (JTF) also known as Operation Restore Hope said the criminal act was politically motivated.
The presidency has, however, promised to engage the aggrieved militants through the presidential amnesty programme. That was after several explosions yesterday rocked Well Head 3 of the Agip flow station along the Clouke creek of Egbema-Galabiri and Lutogbeni, between Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw local council areas of the state.
Describing the act as politically motivated, the JTF said the explosion did not occur anywhere close to the oil facility. Independent investigations showed that the attack on the well head was carried out by a renegade militant leader simply identified as General Commander Lasma.
While security sources within the JTF disagreed with the earlier position put forward by the spokesman, Lt. Col. Timothy Antigha, Leadership gathered that the suspicion of General Commander Lasma's involvement in the attack was based on a letter of demand written to the management of Agip for the payment of an undisclosed amount or face attack.
The confirmed source said though the letter was written a fortnight ago, the renegade militant leader is the first suspect. The JTF source however distanced the recent attack from the recent threat issued by MEND 72 hours ago.
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