Ijaw Youths Condemn MEND Attacks

A group known as Ijaw Youth Campaign for Peace has expressed Shock over the recent claim by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), that they have vandalised Shell platforms in Focados.
In a statement made available to The Tide, Pere Prince, the group’s Public Affairs Officer condemned the action of the militant group, saying that “This is not in any way an achievement, but an action that in the long run, will affect negatively, the lives of our already impoverished poor majority in the rural communities”.
He described as a welcome development, President Yar’Adua’s announcement of amnesty for all freedom fighters including packages for the development of the Niger Delta region, urging that the terms of the amnesty be put to test .
“Our continued fomenting of havoc in the face of the amnesty will present our people as not actually fighting for genuine course, but personal gains which the government can see as armed robbery and criminality of sort,” the statement said.
“If the purported sabotage was actually true, we in the Ijaw Youth Campaign for Peace hereby condemn it in all facets, because it lacks Niger Delta reasons and the central spirit of fighting for development”, the group stated.
The Ijaw Youth Campaign for Peace however commended some freedom fighters who have accepted the terms of the amnesty, but advised the recalcitrant ones to stop forthwith, all anti-peace activities and campaigns in the Niger Delta.
Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force (JTF) has said that some unidentified groups, have vandalised Shell pipelines at an isolated area off Focados, in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
A statement issued by Colonel Rabe Abubakar, Coordinator JMCC and made available to The Tide, stated that “This is purely an act of sabotage by some criminals on isolated pipelines, not platforms, as they are claiming. This is not, in any way, act of bravery or gallantry, but pure act of economic sabotage which even toddlers can do considering the isolated locations of such pipelines”.
He further stated that the issue of sinking of gunboat and killing soldiers could not even arise because the ugly incident happened in an unmanned and isolated area, adding that the claim by the militants over an encounter with any boat and hijacking it could only be a figment of their imagination.
According to him, beteen May 13 and 15, militants have avoided any encounter with the JTF but have continued with acts of vandalism of unmanned locations, where local and law abiding communities benefit from proceeds of looking after the pipelines.
Col. Abubakar therefore called on all law abiding citizens and the numerous well meaning Nigerians of the existence of very few crooked elements who are hell-bent to scuttle the restoration of law and order in the Niger Delta.
“we wish to tell those elements that, the watchdog JTF is monitoring with keen interest their plans and activities, and sooner than later its dragnets will catch up with them. This we assure. At the same time, we wish to also acknowledge and salute the numerous hitherto militant groups who have embraced peace with the FGN and assure them that, they have nothing to fear and that, they are on a noble course”, he said.
In continuation of its effort to get rid of criminality in the Niger Delta, the Joint Task Force code-named Operation Restore Hope, has conducted a cordon and search operation recently, at Nembe community in Bayelsa
State. The operation was conducted to bring to justice those responsible for the attack on the security forces’ location at Obioku, near Nembe community.
In the course of the operation, nine suspected criminals were arrested while 142 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 6 empty magazines, two Dane guns and a speed boat were recovered. The suspects are currently assisting the JTF to uncover the masterminds of the attack. It would be recalled that some unidentified gunmen, suspected to be militants attacked the troops of the Task Force guarding an Agip pipeline, and the attack was successfully repelled by the gallant troops without any casualty.
This is against the claim by the faceless and cowardly hooded MEND that two soldiers were killed. This is untrue and should be disregarded, as it is one of their gimmicks, because it was the same soldiers that carried out the cordon and search exercise, JTF said.
“The claim by MEND is as false as all their previous acclaim to glory. The JTF will continue to exercise patience and professionalism in the conduct of its operation in the communities that militants use as hideouts; we however call on the community members and leaderships to continue to partner with the JTF by exposing the criminals within them to avoid unnecessary hardships these criminals attract to their communities. For those who are bent on carrying out sabotage activities, their days are numbered as sooner or later the arms of the law will catch up with them surely”.
However, the JTF wishes to urge the militants, their sponsors and sympathisers to lay down their arms and accept the golden opportunity provided them by the Government for a soft landing for their own good and for the good of the communities in which they live.

General Secretary, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Rivers State, Engr Dennis Dania, (left), Engr Rowland Woko, traditional ruler of Eneka (middle) and Engr S.O.Ohanweh, during the launching and inauguration of standing committee of the Nigeria Association of Technologist in Port Harcourt, recently. Photo: King Osila