Nigeria: MEND Resumes Hostilities – Blows Up Agip Trunk Line in Bayelsa
“In this regard, MEND wishes to confirm that our fighters were responsible for the attack at Ogbobagbene in Burutu Local Government area of Delta State, on the compound of Godsday Orubebe, Minister for Niger Delta.
The general public is again advised to take very seriously, any warnings of impending bombings. Such warnings will always precede a bombing, providing sufficient time for evacuation. Specific members of the security services and the media will in addition to email, receive notification of an impending attacks by SMS in order to minimize the possibility of civilian casualties.”
Beware of fake MEND — JTF
Meanwhile, the Joint Military Task Force, JTF, operating in the Niger Delta said recent unrest stemmed from criminal gangs, who wanted expired amnesty benefits, adding that it was not possible to run an inelastic amnesty programme.
JTF Spokesman, Timothy Antigha, reacting to the MEND statement in Bayelsa yesterday, said, “unfortunately, people who were never part of the agitation have emerged and want to claim amnesty and its benefits by force. The JTF advises Niger Deltans to be mindful of people, who are out to swindle them by wrongfully appropriating the identity of the erstwhile leadership of MEND to curry sympathy for their selfish and criminal interests.”
Security sources say the remaining militants in the Niger Delta do not have the capacity to do the damage seen in the past, which at its height cut out more than a third of the OPEC-member’s output.
Bayelsa, the home state of President Jonathan, holds a governorship election on Saturday. However, military presence in the state has been beefed up ahead of Saturday, February 11 vote.
Threat to oil output
Attacks by MEND and other militant groups in the Delta, home to Nigeria’s oil industry, cut the nation’s crude output by more than 28 percent from 2006 to 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Disruptions eased after thousands of fighters, seeking a greater share of oil revenue for the region’s inhabitants, dropped their weapons and accepted an official amnesty. MEND refuses to disarm, saying the government hasn’t met its demands for control of the Niger Delta’s oil.
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