Emma Amaize, Kingsley Omonobi & Ikechukwu Eze
27 February 2006
Warri — IJAW elders and leaders yesterday cautioned the Federal Government against deploying United States anti-terror specialists who reportedly arrived the country few days ago in the Niger Delta to rescue the nine foreign oil workers that were taken hostages by armed militants, nine days ago, warning that such an action would aggravate the security condition in the volatile region and possible lead to more bloodshed.
The Federal Government on its part denied that US anti-terror squad was coming to the country.
Meanwhile, a source at the American Embassy told Vanguard yesterday that the US was prepared to offer assistance on intelligence to the Nigerian authorities to bring an end to the spate of kidnapping of foreign oil workers in the Niger Delta.
US to offer assistance
The source who refused to either confirm or deny the presence of US intelligence experts in the country, however, told Vanguard that "US will do whatever it could, including sending intelligence specialists to work with the leadership of countries where American citizens are threatened."
Three Americans, two Egyptians, two Thais, one Briton and one Filipino have been missing since they were kidnapped February 18 by militants who stormed a barge belonging to a US oil company in the Niger Delta's Forcados estuary.
Hope rises for hostages
Military sources insisted that negotiations with the kidnappers were going on well and the hostages who are in good health, would soon regain their freedom.
According to a military source in Abuja, information to the effect that an American team of terrorists' fighters arrived the country from the European Command was a figment of the imagination.
The source said: "The truth of the matter is that negotiation is going on between the government team and the kidnappers and I can assure you that we are getting favourable feedback. The hostages themselves are in good health.
"Do you think America would just drop its personnel without Nigeria's consent and without our security agencies knowing? America, particularly tits ambassador, knows the efforts the Nigerian government is putting into ensuring that the hostages are released. I don't think they would want to do anything to jeopardise it.
"But please discountenance any rumour or information stating that American counter terrorism operatives are here. Are they ghosts?"
Ijaw warn
Meantime, First Republic Information Commissioner, Chief Edwin Clark; former Military Administrator of Niger State, Brigadier-General Cletus Emein (rtd.); Coordinator of the Ijaw Monitoring Congress (INC), Mr. Joseph Evah, who spoke to Vanguard said the involvement of US anti-terror experts in such a rescue mission in the NigerDelta would be counter-productive.
But Governor James Ibori of Delta State in a text message to our reporter, yesterday, allayed fears that the presence of the US anti-terror experts would make the militants to harden their position on the release of the hostages, pointing out that the negotiation for the release has nothing to do with the American team.
He said the militants had their people outside the country too and would not harm the hostages, because, on good authority, they were kidnapped as a human shield to negotiate a stoppage to the bombardment of Ijaw villages.
Chief Clark who is the chairman of the committee inaugurated by the Delta State Government, last week, to negotiate the release of the hostages said the delay in releasing the hostages was because the militants doubted the Federal Government's sincerity in keeping to its promise not to carry out further unprovoked attacks on Ijaw communities.
He said he was in contact with the hostage-takers and they cited the killing of a youth at Ogulagha community by the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta days after President Olusegun Obasanjo had reportedly ordered a cease-fire as one of the reasons for their doubt about government's sincerity.
"We, however, told them that the Ogulagha incident was an isolated case and that the state governor, Chief James Ibori, had promised to send relief materials to victims and even treat the victims. Our appeal is that they should release the hostages because Mr. President is ready to critically discuss with their representatives, that is the Ijaw leaders, the cause of the continued unrest in the region and the way out," he said.
By 6.00 pm, there was excitement at Government House Annex in Warri about the possible release of the hostages, last night. Governor Ibori was in the Government House, waiting for the hostages to be brought to him. But the committee chairman, Chief Clark, when contacted, said it was all rumour.
The Ijaw leader who was more concerned about the implication of sending soldiers to confront the militants said the four hostages who were kidnapped in Bayelsa State, last month, were not released with the involvement of the US anti-terror officials and urged President Obasanjo to examine any step he would want to take towards the resolution of the current debacle in the region.
On his part, Brigadier General Emein said the Federal Government should not take measures that could worsen the situation in the region. He said any attempt to use force to rescue the hostages from the militants would lead to their death and called for tact in handling the situation.
Coordinator of the Ijaw Monitoring Congress, Mr. Evah, said Obasanjo should restrict the US anti-terror experts to Abuja for their own safety, saying if they venture the Niger Delta for any operation against the Ijaw people, the gods of the land would deal with them.
He said the President should not out of panic, deploy US anti-terror experts in the Niger Delta. "Have these same people our President contacted not been in Afghanistan hunting for Osama Bin Laden, were they able to get him? Who do they think they want to track down in the Niger Delta? They are dealing with the gods of Ijaw land and they would only have themselves to blame if they don't do the right thing by allowing us to sort out our matter with our government.
"My advice to the US team is that they should remain in Abuja for their safety and they should also tell the President after listening to him that the solution to the problem was for him to develop the Niger Delta the way Abuja was developed with the money obtained from the Niger Delta," he said.
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