Okah: Mend threatens resumed hostilities

A suspected faction of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, loyal to Mr. Henry Okah, who was convicted by a South African Court for the October 1, 2010 bombing in Abuja, has threatened renewed attacks in the country.

MEND in a statement titled “Conviction of our leader, Mr. Henry Okah,” signed by one Comrade Azizi, said the organisation would target multinational oil firms and South African firms operating in the country.

Azizi in the statement that was published in Sahara Reporters  on Staurday, also threatened that the series of attacks being planned by MEND would not be restricted to targets in the oil rich Niger Delta but the entire country.

MEND in the statement also placed a ban on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe, from visiting the Niger Delta.

Orubebe did not react to the MEND’s threat.

The minister did not pick the repeated calls placed to his mobile telephone line on Saturday. Also, a text message sent to him to get his response on the MEND threat was not responded to.

The MEND statement also warned government officials at the federal, states and local government levels, as permanent secretaries, director generals and others, to stay away from the Niger Delta or be dealt with.

It threatened to carry out attacks on government officials who served from 1999 to date and members of their families as a retaliatory measure against the military invasion of Odi in November 1999.

The purported MEND spokesman said the group had become more sophisticated and deadlier with new states and regional commanders, with a national commander whose identity was not disclosed in the statement.

Azazi said the incarceration of Okah or his killing would not make a difference in the current state of the organisation.

He said, “We witnessed the conviction of our dear leader on January 21, 2013 by the South African Supreme Court on all the 13 counts which as we all know has to do with Aso Rock politics because he refused to be bought over.

“To the Nigerian military (The Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta), don’t bother placing officers on the alert, we will neither bomb nor kill anybody for the time being, as we had communicated months back that we no long require IED or car bombs as we’ve gone past that stage.

“Nigerians as a whole will feel our presence when we finally decide to carry out our targets which will not be restricted to the Niger Delta Region alone.

“We are not on the same program with regional agitators in the North or elsewhere. We will not hide our faces, soon and very soon, Nigerians will get to see the structures (diaspora and home) as well as our new states, regional commanders and new national leader. Arresting and killing Henry Okah will change nothing.

“To the Nigerian government, you have seen nothing, the disintegration of Nigeria will start through us and by us. We are well equipped for this task. We have details of all the family members of the government (1999-2013) and our diaspora command will take care of that aspect. We will get to them, we will skin them and post their remains to your door steps as compensation to the Odi people, except our resources are handed over to us without conditions.

 “The Minister of the Niger Delta Ministry, Mr. Orubebe Peter Godsday, is hereby banished from Delta State and the region at large.

“All oil companies, (foreign or local) should start parking up from the region as this might be the last warning; we really will not want civilians to be caught in between so please take this warning seriously.

 “And finally to the South Africa companies: we made some promises before and now we are repeating same, leave Nigeria totally. There will be massive and aggressive campaign on all companies owned, operated and affiliated to the South African citizens or their government both in Nigeria, Western and Southern Africa respectively.”

When one of our correspondents contacted the Director of Defence Information, Col. Mohammed Yerima, on the issue, he said he had nothing to say on it.

 “I don’t think I have to comment on this issue. What has this got to do with the defence headquarters? Even the so called MEND has not carried out any attack anywhere so what are we commenting on,” he said.

Also, the police said they were monitoring the security situation in the country.

Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said he would not want to comment on the MEND threat, but added that security agencies would continue to maintain ‘high vigilance’ in the country.

“We have always maintained high vigilance and we will continue to do so. On the purported threat by MEND, we are monitoring the situation,” he stated.

The State Security Service declined to comment. Its spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, said she had nothing to say.

Head of Media and Communications of the Presidential Amnesty Office, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, said security agencies should ensure that the prevailing peace in the Niger Delta was not disrupted.

Alabrah who said the amnesty office had nothing to do with the MEND’s threat noted that security agencies had a responsibility to prevent anybody from perpetrating acts of violence in the area.

He said, “It is a security matter, this has nothing to the amnesty programme. There is no Azizi under our programme. He is not a beneficiary of the presidential amnesty.

“If any person goes back to the creek, the security agencies should do their work. It is not the work of the amnesty office to stop people from getting violent.

“Okah has not been sentenced, he can explore other options by going on appeal. You would not expect us to run because MEND has issued a threat. If anybody is issuing a threat to disrupt the peace in the region, the security agencies should do their job, it is not our job; it is not our mandate to maintain the peace in the region; we are not a security agency.”

Efforts to get the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communications, Dr. Reuben Abati, were not successful.

It was learnt that he had travelled to Ethiopia

Also, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, did not pick the repeated calls placed to his mobile telephone neither did he respond to a text message sent to him on the issue.