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Tag: MEND

  • MEND endorses APC candidate

    MEND endorses APC candidate

    The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari yesterday gained an unusual support as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) endorsed him.

    MEND, in a statement circulated by its spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, anchored its decision on the need to deliver Nigeria, especially the Niger Delta, from the crunching effects of the reign of corruption that has become the most prevalent sign of governance in Nigeria.

    The group hailed Gen. Buhari for proposing to scrap the office of the First Lady, which it considered a drain on the commonwealth.

    “The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has, upon careful consideration of the state of the nation, endorsed and fully support the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Our decision to throw our full support behind Gen. Mohammadu Buhari stems from the pathetic state in which the country has been put by the government of Goodluck Jonathan and our strong belief in Gen. Buhari as the man and change the country needs.

    “President Goodluck Jonathan does not deserve a second more in the Presidency as soon as his tenure expires as he has continuously and blatantly disregarded the very people who voted him into office.

    “A President that told Nigerian to their faces that he does not “give a damn” when asked to declare his assets. A requirement that is constitutional on assuming the office of the President.

    “President Jonathan, since assuming his office, has setup countless number of “Committees”, none of which reports has ever been implemented. From the Nuhu Ribadu report to the KPMG and Fuel Subsidy reports, just to mention a few.

    “We re-state our disregard and lack of confidence in President Goodluck Jonathan. Rather than address the perennial issues in the country responsible for his administrations failures, he is concentrating government funds in a campaign of misinformation intended to hoodwink Nigerians who, unfortunately for him, are now wiser and smarter than he is.

    “Goodluck Jonathan’s actions, utterances and arrogance prove that he is totally disconnected with the situation facing the ordinary Nigerian and completely out of touch with reality.”

    On the situation with the Niger Delta, the MEND said: “Since President Goodluck Jonathan assumed office, the Niger Delta has experienced excruciating poverty faced by the people, worse pollution and environmental degradation and not once has he ever come out to openly condemn the destruction of our environment by the activities of irresponsible oil companies.

    “Recent reports confirm the country is losing billions of dollars in oil revenue due to oil theft. This theft has been aided by the pot-bellied Nigerian Army generals, in connivance with corrupt Nigerian government officials, the Joint Task Force and the Nigerian Navy. It is no wonder the once respected Nigerian Military has been reduced to a ragtag army by the Boko Haram terrorists. It can only take a bold and courageous man like Gen. Mohammadu Buhari to tackle the insecurity and oil theft plaguing the nation. He has done it before and he will and can do it again!”

  • MEND backs Buhari for Presidency

    MEND backs Buhari for Presidency

    The presidential candidate of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), on Tuesday gained an unusual support as the main agitating militant group in the Niger Delta, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), pledged its total support for the former military ruler.

    MEND, in a lengthy press statement circulated through email by its spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, anchored its decision on the need to deliver Nigeria, especially the Niger Delta region, from the crunching effects of corruption.

    It also lamented the unconcerned attitude of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration at the unrelenting degradation of the Niger Delta environment, taking a hard stance on the increasing level of oil theft in the region.

    President Jonathan, according to MEND, does not deserve a second more in the Presidency.

    The group also commended Buhari for proposing to scrap the office of the First Lady, which it considered to be a drain on the nation’s resources and a conduit through which corrupt government officials stole across all levels of government.

    It said, “The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has, upon careful consideration of the state of the nation, endorses and fully supports the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Gen. Mohammadu Buhari.

    “Our decision to throw our full support on Gen. Mohammadu Buhari stems from the pathetic state in which the country has been put by the government of Goodluck Jonathan and our strong believe in Buhari as the man and change the country needs.

    “President Goodluck Jonathan does not deserve a second more in the Presidency as soon as his tenure expires as he has continuously and blatantly disregarded the very people who voted him into office.

    “A President that told Nigerian to their faces that he does not ‘give a damn’ when asked to declare his assets. A requirement that is constitutional on assuming the office of the President.

    “President Jonathan, since assuming his office, has setup countless committees, whose reports have never been implemented. From the Nuhu Ribadu report to the KPMG and fuel subsidy reports, just to mention a few.

    “How can Nigerians expect a highly corrupt person like Goodluck Jonathan to fight corruption when he believes that stealing is not corruption, as he shamelessly told the Nation?

    “He has proven beyond all reasonable doubt, his inability to tackle corruption or prosecute a single government official in his six years in office.

    “MEND finds it laughable the recent statement by Goodluck Jonathan on his government’s plan to fight corruption. This statement not only smacks of ignorance of the highest order, but also shows just how stupid he thinks Nigerians are. A president that had six years to tackle the problem but chose to shield corrupt government officials, joined in the looting of our resources and now has the temerity to say his government has a plan to fight corruption. This is a big slap in the face of every single Nigerian!

    “We re-state our disregard and lack of confidence in President Goodluck Jonathan. Rather than address the perennial issues in the country responsible for his administrations failures, he is concentrating government funds in a campaign of misinformation intended to hoodwink Nigerians who, unfortunately for him, are now wiser and smarter than he is.

    “Goodluck Jonathan’s actions, utterances and arrogance prove that he is totally disconnected with the situation facing the ordinary Nigerian and completely out of touch with reality.”

     

  • 2015: Tompolo meets with Olu of Warri, 11 Urhobo monarchs

    2015: Tompolo meets with Olu of Warri, 11 Urhobo monarchs

    Former Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) leader Chief Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) yesterday went on a peace mission to aggrieved ethnic groups in Delta State.

    The move is said to be part of the plan to shore up the thinning support for President Goodluck Jonathan and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in Delta State.

    The meeting, it was learnt, followed the announcement of Tompolo’s anointed candidate and cousin, Chief Kingsley Otuaro, as the running mate to Delta State PDP candidate Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.

    Our correspondent learnt that Tompolo met with the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II and 11 Urhobo monarchs in Delta Central Senatorial District.

    A source at the palace of the Olu of Warri, who spoke in confidence, said: “It is true. Tompolo came here today (Tuesday) and he indeed met with the Olu and notable members of the Warri Traditional Council. The meeting lasted about five hours.”

    Tompolo had met with several notable Urhobo monarchs at the palace of the Ovie of Idjere Kingdom in Jesse, Ethiope West Local Government Area.

    A prominent political leader in the area, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said those at the meeting included: the Ovie of Uvwie, HRM Abe I; the Ovie of Mosogar, HRM Samson Okirhiobo; his counterparts from Oghara, HRM Noble Oyibo Eshemitan, Uku–Ogharaname, Orefe III and the host monarch, the Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom, Erhiekevwe 1.

    The source said: “The traditional rulers of Abraka clans and the Ovie of Agbarho-Otor were also present at the meeting. The kernel of discussion was the need to support President Jonathan’s re-election and the success of the PDP candidate in Delta, Dr Okowa.”

    Delta PDP has been hit by a series of crisis.

    Specifically, the Itsekiri are unhappy with the President over the abortion of the November groundbreaking ceremony of the $16 billion Delta Gas City Project at Ogidigben, Warri South West Local Government Area.

    Ironically, the abortion of the ceremony was blamed on Tompolo’s alleged threat and demand of his Gbaramatu kinsmen on the project’s name, among others.

    A source at the Olu’s palace (Aghofen) in Warri said the former warlord explained his alleged role in the EPZ crisis and appealed to the monarch to support President Jonathan and other PDP candidates.

    “He told the monarch that he (Tompolo) was his (Olu’s) son. He begged him not to rely on hearsay on issues concerning him. He begged the Olu to try to hear his side of any story on issues concerning Ijaw/Itsekiri relationship,” the source added.

     

  • Reports on battleships political, says Tompolo

    Reports on battleships political, says Tompolo

    The leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Chief Government Ekpemupolo, (aka Tompolo), has said the reports that he acquired some battleships and other military hardware were a sign of ignorance among those behind the reports.

    A Norwegian newspaper, Dagbladet, reported that Tompolo acquired six decommissioned battleships and had them rearmed.

    But in a statement yesterday by his spokesman, Paul Bebenimibo, the former militant leader said the reports were not only misleading but orchestrated by Delta State politicians to blackmail him.

    Tompolo said the marine vehicles were neither warships nor gunboats and had no connection with arms and ammunition.

    He said they were ordinary boats fitted with communication gadgets for surveillance on the nation’s oil and gas facilities.

    According to him, the boats had been delivered to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which used same boats with the Navy.

    The statement added: “I am not surprised that this blackmail is coming at this crucial time that Nigeria is facing serious security challenges, even as the most decisive moment for the nation, which is the 2015 elections, closes in.

    “For one, the initial reaction was to just ignore this cheap blackmail and forge ahead with personal commitments, but the propensity with which these lies are daily peddled requires that a bit of clarification is given to the public.

    “Clearly, the intent of those behind the malicious reports is to weigh me down, paint me as someone with the desire to wage war against the Nigerian state by painting a picture of an arms build-up in the Niger Delta as 2015 approaches.

    “On the issue relating to the alleged purchase of war boats, it smacks of ignorance on the part of those who have taken an ignoble delight to embark on this despicable path; it is pertinent for the ignorance of those behind this blackmail to be exposed.

    “The truth is that the boats have been in the care of NIMASA for about two years now. For the avoidance of doubt, the boats are not warships or gunboats, as being erroneously spread by mischief makers.

    “The boats, as acquired, are neither equipped with war arsenal nor are they ammunition carriers. They are simply boats equipped with modern surveillance devices to track oil thieves and, in the process, increase the nation’s revenue base through NIMASA.

    “Similarly, Tompolo is not in charge of the boats as, upon acquisition, the boats were handed over to NIMASA which in turn involved the Nigerian Navy in their usage and operations.

    “Perhaps, it is apt to say that this latest blackmail could not have come from any quarter other than some Niger Delta politicians whose desire to enslave others has not only failed but backfired. The masterminds of this cannot cow me to withdraw my support for President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, Nigerians and indeed the Nigerian media, can do the nation a big favour by contacting the Norwegian Embassy for more details on the boats in question.”

     

  • MEND dismisses threat to bomb Lagos judges, relatives

    MEND dismisses threat to bomb Lagos judges, relatives

    THE Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has described the threat by an unknown militant group to bomb Lagos judges and their relatives as empty.

    It described the group claiming to be MEND as imposters that should not be taken seriously.

    In an online statement yesterday by its spokesperson, MEND declared that there was nobody bearing ‘Commander Wilberforce’ in the authentic group.

    It said: “MEND wishes to dissociate itself from an impostor and self-acclaimed ‘Commander’ of MEND, going by the name of ‘Commander Wilberforce,’ who claimed to speak for MEND, by issuing threat of possible attacks on Lagos judges.

    “This threat was circulated in some sections of the media on Friday, 12 September, 2014.

    “As far as we know, this person (‘Commander Wilberforce’) does not exist and there is no collaboration of any sort with this imaginary individual, as claimed in the misleading statement.

    “MEND strongly urges the media to disregard any such statement, as it did not emanate from MEND.

    “The MEND has not and will never threaten any judicial institution, for carrying out its duties.”

    In the threat, ‘Commander Wilberforce’ accused some of the judges of the Lagos High Court of not signing letters of administration for ‘MEND’s late members’ estates.

    The judicial officers were given 12 days to issue the letters or be bombed along with their relatives.

    ‘Commander Wilberforce’ also accused the judges of continually failing to sign the letters of administration, many years after they had been approved and published.

    ‘Commander Wilberforce’ also threatened to publish in coming weeks, the names and addresses of all the probate judges.

     

  • MEND threatens to bomb Lagos Judges

    MEND threatens to bomb Lagos Judges

    Some judges of the Lagos High Court have come under threat of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) over their alleged refusal to issue letters for the administration of its late members’ estates.

    MEND yesterday gave the judges 12 days to issue such letters or be bombed.

    Decrying what it called the delay in issuing the letters, MEND threatened to launch coordinated attacks on the judges’ houses and vehicles at the expiration of its ultimatum.

    In a statement by one Commander Wilberforce,  MEND accused the judges of continually failing to sign the letters of administration years after they have been approved.

    It said it was surprised that the letters had not beeen signed several months after they were approved.

    MEND accused judges of laziness and corruption, adding that they allegedly demanded bribe from the applicants to sign the letters.

    According to MEND,  so many beneficiaries lost their lives this year while the children of the deceased have been chased out of schools for lack of funds because of “the inhuman and wicked attitude of the probate judges”.

    “Some”, it noted, “have gone into crime just to survive”.

     “For over two years a good number of our members have been processing the Letters of Administration of their deceased families. All they keep hearing is “Come tomorrow,” as a result of this inhuman and wicked attitude of the probate judges who refused to sign the letters lying dormant in their offices.

    “ A number of times the judges collected bribes from them but still refused to sign the letters. We can no longer condone this wickedness of the highest order, this is the reason we are writing all authorities of the Lagos State Government and Judiciary to intervene or else we would be forced to launch series of attacks on these corrupt judges and their families. We know their houses as well as their modus operandi,” MEND warned.

    It said the timely intervention of the Lagos State Governor and the Chief Judge could save the situation.

    “We sincerely advise the Governor and Chief Judge to intervene or else we shall spill blood.

    “Serial violence is the only language Nigerians understand, since they have decided to murder the beneficiaries through their inactions then they leave us with no choice than to meet wickedness with higher wickedness.

    “In the coming weeks we shall publish the names and addresses of ALL probate judges.

    “Evil prevails when good men do nothing. We hereby issue a 12-day ultimatum to them to sign and release all Letters of Administration published last year”, it warned.

    MEND said its threat was not about ethnicity, asking other ethnic militant organisations not to intervene in the matter.

    “No ethnic militant group should intervene, this is not a matter of tribe, this is about humanity,” it said.

  • MEND threatens to bomb Lagos judges over unsigned letters

    A group claiming to be the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has given the judges at the probate section of the Lagos High Court 12 days within which to issue letters of administration to its members who applied for it.

    The group which decried delay in the issuance of the letters, has threatened to launch coordinated attacks on the houses and vehicles of judges.

    The group, in a statement signed by one Commander Wilberforce,  said the planned attacks was informed  by the continued failure of the judges to sign letters of administration of its deceased members years after it has been approved.

    The group said it will begin to target and kill the judges if they do not take the necessary step to sign its members’ letters of administration.

    It expressed suprise that the letters have not been signed several months after they were approved.

    MEND accused judges of laziness and corruption having demanded bribe from its members severally before the letters of administration could be signed.

  • JTF denies Boko Haram’s presence in Bayelsa

    Says, ‘MEND no longer in existence’

    Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, on Thursday denied rumoured presence of members of the Boko Haram sect in Bayelsa State.

    There was widespread rumour in Yenagoa that members of the sect have infiltrated the state of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Some persons also claimed that the presence of the terror group was the reason why schools were closed down on Thursday.

    But in a swift reaction, the Media Coordinator, JTF, Lt. Col. Mustapha Anka, debunked the rumour, describing it as false and misleading.

    He said it was the handiwork of mischief makers with the intention of creating panic among the good people of the state.

    He said the closure of schools in the state was in line with a directive credited to the National Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr. Michael Olukoya.

    He said Olukoya ordered all members of the union to stay away from classrooms as a protest against the killing of their colleagues and abduction of over 200 girls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, by Boko Haram.

    “The JTF urge good people of Bayelsa State and the general public to go about their normal business without fear as the command is working assiduously in collaboration with other security agencies to protect lives and property in the state,” he said.

    On the claims by the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) that it was responsible for a blast that occurred at the Port Harcourt refinery, Rivers State, Anka said the militant group was no longer in existence.

    He recalled that MEND was among the groups that accepted the federal government’s amnesty offer in 2009.

     

  • Port Harcourt explosion: MEND claims attack

    Port Harcourt explosion: MEND claims attack

    The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s explosion near the Port Harcourt refinery.

    Seven people died in the  explosion. Many were injured.

    The explosion took place at the creek near the jetty of the refinery, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    The militant group, in an online statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo,  said the facility was infiltrated by its fighters, with the aid of its internal agents in the NNPC.

    MEND said it would persist in its attacks on the oil industry, in view of the alleged inaction of President Goodluck Jonathan, who it said continued to rely on an “unsustainable” and “fraudulent” Niger Delta Amnesty programme.

    The group maintained that it sabotaged the NNPC refinery jetty pipelines in Okrika, Rivers State, in line with its ongoing “Operation Hurricane Exodus”, which, according to the group, was intended to bring down the facility.

    MEND said: “The facility was infiltrated by a few of our fighters, with the aid of our internal agents within the NNPC, contrary to speculation that the sabotage was carried out by ‘pipeline vandals and oil thieves’, which is a very convenient phrase used in shielding the truth from the public.

    “Thorough investigations will reveal bomb fragments are the same used in the Warri (Delta State) Refinery explosion of Tuesday, 22nd October, 2013.

    “We will persist with our attacks on the Nigerian oil industry, due to the inaction of President Goodluck Jonathan, who continues to rely on an unsustainable and fraudulent Niger Delta Amnesty Programme,” MEND stated.

    The militant group described the amnesty programme as a fraud on the people of Nigeria, who were being promised peace in the Niger Delta, in the absence of justice. The group said its “Hurricane Exodus” was on course.

    But, the management of the Port Harcourt Refining Company denied the allegation that some members of the company connived with Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PMC) to siphoned premium motor spirit (PMS) which led to the explosion.

    The management’s denial followed reactions from  the public who suspected sabotage by the company’s personnel, considering the scene’s closeness to the company’s facilities security checkpoint.

    Nigerian Democratic Awareness Forum and Okrika Local Government Chairman, Tamuno Williams, were among those who accused the management of having fore knowledge of the illegal bunkering that led to explosion.

    The company, through its Executive Director, Services, Mr. Ralph Ugwu said it had nothing to cover or hide.

    Ugwu said none of the company’s facilities was gutted by fire, insisting that both refining and jetty operations were going on smoothly.

    He said: “I don’t want to describe the man (council chairman) in anger. What he has said is a departure from the truth. What I want to confirm to you is that our jetty operations are up and running. Our refineries are also up and running.

    “The incident has no impact on our operations whatsoever and on our own side as NNPC, there is no casualty and the incident has no impact on our refining operations or on our jetty operations.”

  • MEND, Okah: allegation on jailbreak baseless

    THE Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and one of its leaders serving in a South African prison, Henry Okah, have described the allegation of attempted jailbreak as baseless and propaganda by South African and Nigerian governments.

    MEND dismissed the statement by the South African Department of Correctional Services as mere fabrication.

    The militant group, which reiterated that Okah shunned a plea bargain offered by the prosecution for his freedom and opted for a trial to clear his name, wondered why he would be involved in a jailbreak.

    Okah also spoke yesterday from South Africa, through his lawyer, Idemudia Uriesi, in an online statement.

    He is serving a 24-year custodian sentence at the Newlock Prison in Pretoria, having been found guilty by the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, of terrorism on March 26, last year.

    The ex-MEND leader won the leave to appeal both conviction and sentence on November 28, to be heard at the Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa.

    MEND said: “MEND views this petty propaganda as a last ditch and desperate deed by South Africa and Nigeria to scuttle Henry Okah’s likely victory from the South African Appellate Court, next month.

    “No right-thinking person would believe that the ‘political prisoner,’ who was granted a leave to appeal his conviction and has a pending lawsuit against the South African Prison Service would connive to escape with common-law prisoners, who have nothing to lose.

    “Henry Okah not only shunned a plea bargain offered by the prosecution for his freedom, but opted for trial to clear his name. He is ready to proceed to the South African Constitutional Court to test the South African judicial system against an obvious setup.”

    MEND said it would continue to back Okah’s innocence on the October 1, 2010, twin bomb blasts at the Eagle Square, Abuja, during Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary.

    Okah’s lawyer said: “We meet with Henry Okah weekly and can confirm that his preoccupation is his impending appeal and his and other ‘prisoners’ rights.’

    “All allegations, insinuation and/or rumours of escape or attempted escape by our client from prison custody are fabrications. They have no basis in truth or fact, are totally false and consequently denied.

    “We and our client have confidence in the correctness of Okah’s legal position regarding his appeal against conviction and sentence on the charges and we have no doubt his appeal will be successful.

    “Mr. Okah has absolutely no interest in becoming a fugitive or in attaining his freedom by other unlawful means.

    “We advise that allegations contrary to the above position are baseless and should be disregarded as a matter of course. We trust the above information nullifies rumours and would be of assistance.”

    On Monday, the spokesman of the South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, Manelisi Wolela, said Okah and four others were caught in a failed jail break.

    Wolela said: “I can confirm that Okah is one of the five inmates, who attempted to escape and whose efforts were foiled,” but declined to give details.