Overview article by a veteran reporter on militants in the Niger Delta
Vanguard
14 February 2012
In Special Report ..
By EMMA AMAIZE, Regional Editor, South-South
OGBOGBAGBENE bombing : WHEN on Tuesday, January 28, the fleeting peace in the Niger-Delta was shattered by some unknown gunmen, who stormed Ogbobagbene, the country home of the Minister of Niger-Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, and blew up parts of the sprawling mansion with explosives, many thought it was the handiwork of mischief makers.
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Fixing the puzzle: However, on Sunday, February 5, the jigsaw started coming together, as the umbrella militant group in the region, Movement for the Emancipation of Niger-Delta, MEND, which has been in an indeterminate state for sometime, particularly, since the arrest and trial of the Okah brothers, Henry and Charles in South-Africa and Nigeria, not only claimed responsibility for the bombing of Orubebe’s home, but the bombing of an Agip trunk line at Brass in Bayelsa State on Saturday, February 4.
Its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, in an internet post, noted: “This relatively insignificant attack is a reminder of our presence in the creeks of the Niger Delta and a sign of things to come.”
Though, a former field marshal and commander of MEND, Mr. Victor Ebikabowe Ben, alias Boyloaf, who is one of the five founders of MEND said: “I can tell you that Jomo Gbomo is not an existing person. Anybody wielding a laptop can also use it. If I want to use it, I can.
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