allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Yar'Adua Need Not Declare War On Militants

SPOKESPERSON of the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), which comprises the fighting units of the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), the Reformed Niger -Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (R-NDPVF) and some other militia groups in the Niger-Delta, Cynthia Whyte, says the Ijaw struggle is community-driven and backed by higher spiritual forces, which cannot be explained in plain English language, suggesting that it is wide off the mark to think that Ijaw communities would not support genuine freedom fighters.

The militant leader states in reply to an electronic mail by Sunday Vanguard that, despite the ceasefire, the freedom fighters were on red alert for the military, but points out that hostilties would cease as soon as MEND leader, Henry Okah, is released by the Federal Government.

IS it true that more youths from different tribes in the Niger-Delta are enlisting and being trained as freedom fighters in the various militant camps? What is the strength of the new intakes across the region and what do you think is responsible for the enlisting?

Recruitment is on-going but is sometimes informal. I cannot give a number because there are different camps and different alliances that could align based on existing challenges, emerging realities and possible eventualities. Enlistment could even begin and end with a small chat in a bar or restaurant. The key ingredient we seek is a burning passion for the plight for the people of the Niger Delta.There is only so much that we can take right now because we have limited resources and strange challenges. We do not want to find ourselves in a previous situation where enlisted youths turned out to be bandit elements and hostage takers. We will take our time and work with the best minds.

The strategic objective is to get the Nigerian state off our oil. Whatever we have to do must be done. There are best ways of getting things done. That is what we seek. If we must cripple oil production and exporting activities, we must establish the most strategic way of getting it done. As long as our people remain short changed, we believe that enlistments and requests for enlistment will continue. We have ex-marines of Ijaw stock many of whom are willing to relocate to Nigeria and assist our people learn the tricks necessary.

They now understand the need to consolidate on our position as a people. What started as an angry mob revolting against the arrest of Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari in September 2005 has slowly built into a force with reckonable potential. We have combatants who have had great experience in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq and Liberia. The wars that we will deploy will be in such a way to reduce casualty to communities.

The Federal Government has explained that it did not declare war on militants. What do you suspect or think about the apparent u-turn?

Musa Yar'Adua is the defacto president of the Nigerian state. He has accepted over and over again that he knows that the election that brought him into power was gravely flawed. In other words, he knows he was not truly elected by citizens of the Nigerian state. There is a quality of thinking that becomes ascribed to you when you know inside you that you are not competent to be where you are. The Federal Government does not need to issue a declaration of war. We have good sense of smell. It is a key skill required from every good Ijaw fisherman or woman like me. The key issue is to be prepared.

The chief of the defence staff, Owoye Azazi and some other top military chiefs were said to have relocated to the Niger-Delta to direct operations. Are the freedom fighters not afraid that the army may wipe them out, as some militant camps were destroyed in Edo State recently?

I don't know whether it is still there now, there used to be a coffin on top of the gates of the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna. Enlisted cadets swear to oath of allegiance to the armed forces of the Nigerian state. By this oath, you agree that no one is liable for your death in true combat situations. That means, for every day as a soldier, you have the right to be killed. You swore to an oath. Simple, the same thing goes for our heroic and patriotic combatants who have sworn before the gods of Ijaw land to fight for their people to finish. These people are protected by the greatest deity in the world and, as long as they desist from the path of perdition, they will not fall in battle. The gods of Ijaw land have said that enough is enough. The Almighty God in heaven knows that we cannot take any more than this. Attacked militant camps were abodes of people with strong criminal inclinations. Many of such camps were created by expelled members of the larger camps. Any group that does not support the interests and greater aspirations of its communities cannot be protected by communities. Criminals cannot be protected by any sane community.

The true Ijaw struggle is community driven and backed by higher forces that cannot be explained in plain English language. Let me tell you, if they attack us, some of us will die. Many of them too will die. When they decide to come in full swing, we will unleash that which has been kept for the end times. The same thing they come with, we will show them one of better quality.

What is the truth in the report that foreigners are training militants in some camps in the Niger-Delta?

That is not true or, rather, I am not aware. What is considered as foreigners are trained military men of Ijaw stock who recently relocated to Nigeria after serving the armies of some other countries.They have come to serve their fatherland.

Will hostilities stop if Henry Okah is released on time to join the peace process and participate in the Niger-Delta summit? There will be cessation of hostilities if Henry Okah is released.

Is there any order really on militants to shoot soldiers on sight if soldiers come to their locations or only when the soldiers attempt to capture them?

I think the best way to confirm this is to find out what happens to any soldier who trespasses.

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