Emma Amaize and Jimitota Onoyume
22 September 2008
THE military Joint Task Force (JTF) in Rivers State is not sucked in by yesterday's unilateral ceasefire declared by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) in its "oil war", and said it would treat the group's move with caution.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has also advised its members at oil locations and other facilities close to "the battle front" in the face-off between MEND and the JTF to "stay away from line of fire."
However, some of the militant groups involved in the violence in the Niger Delta are said to be dispatching delegations to Abuja today to present a common position to the Federal Government on the condition for laying down their arms and paving the way for the smooth take-off of the newly created Ministry of Niger Delta.
Spokesman for the JTF, Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa, said while the military were open to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the region, soldiers would remain on red alert.
His words: "The unilateral cease-fire by MEND, if it is true, I think it is a good development for them, the region, the nation and the international community.
"At the JTF level, we will continue to carefully and firmly monitor the situation, exercise limited level of restraint until MEND's new position is seen to have been actualised.
"We are open to an amicable resolution of this in-house crisis. We hope this cease-fire is not going to be another tactical deception which we are used to, and always prepared to contain," he said.
MEND had in a statement, weekend, said "after one week of intense lopsided fighting and an unprecedented sabotage on the oil industry prompted by an unprovoked attack on one of our positions including indiscriminate attacks on civilian communities, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) will downgrade the oil war code named Hurricane Barbarossa to a state of alert code named Tropical Storm Vigilant.
"We decided to 'stop outside Baghdad' even at a time of victory over the military and utter helplessness of the oil companies. This is again due to the passionate plea made by Chief Edwin K. Clark, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, Senator David Brigidi and others.
"We hope that the military has learnt a bitter lesson. The next unprovoked attack will start another oil war that will be so ferocious that it will dim the pleas of the elders. That bloody oil war will come in the form of another hurricane and its devastation and mode of operation will be different from what was seen with Barbarossa.
"Effective 0100 hrs, September 21, 2008, exactly one week we launched our reprisal, MEND will begin a unilateral cease-fire till further notice. During this time, the International Red Cross alone will be allowed access to retrieve the bloated floating bodies of several soldiers to avoid an epidemic.
"MEND can only speak for itself and will not vouch for the other angry groups that aligned with the operation."
Stay away from line of fire, PENGASSAN advises members
However, PENGASSAN in a statement entitled: "Attacks on oil workers and oil installations: The unsuspecting oil workers can no longer be the victims of the conflicting work environment," yesterday asked members of JTF to refocus their activities on protecting the various oil and as locations and facilities and workers and avoid getting involved in nefarious complications.
It said: "Our Association, PENGASSAN, confirmed with shocks the renewed attacks by the agitating youths on the unsuspecting oil workers at Shell's Alakiri flow station which sadly led to the tragic death of some of the workers and the security details at the flow station, while some others workers at the same scene were reported to have sustained injuries of various grades during the unfortunate incident.
"Further attacks and destructions on Shell flow station at Orubiri and lately its major gas project in Rivers State, which in all, leaves so much to be desired. Chevron platform at Soku and Kula was also reported to have suffered attacks except that it was luckily repelled before havoc could be wrecked on the Chevron facilities and workers.
"We wish to state in unequivocal terms that PENGASSAN is dutifully monitoring every operational challenges threatening our responsibility to secure the jobs and welfare of members, particularly the conflicting environment where security and safety situation is becoming alarming and helpless.
"We are mindful that our members' family anxiety and nervousness mounts by the day as more reports of threats to life, killings, hostage taking and attacks on oil facilities are released.
"As a responsible trade union, pressures are on us to take far-reaching stance in response to members' families' nostalgia as we receive news on the worsening hostility and resistance that could, if resistance fails, mean terribly blow on our members in the unsafe work locations.
"We strongly appeal for the umpteenth time for a cease fire to save our brothers, colleagues and friends, oil workers, who are the human capital, as well as our 60 per cent Joint Venture national assets in oil installations which are legacies that we should build upon and proudly pass on to our tomorrow.
"In any case, it is pertinent for us as to alert our in-house branch to ensure that extra precautionary measures are in place before sending any of our members to any of the tensed environment.
"Furthermore, in the event of further attack on any of the oil worker in any part of the Niger Delta, the safety policy in the industry demands that our in-house branch engage management to keep our members away from such tensed work locations until adequate assurance of sustainable peace, tranquility reign, and the safety of our members that are susceptible to possible attack is agreed. The rule in the industry operations that must not be compromised is 'Safety First', and if it not safe 'Stay away from line of fire,'" the statement said.
Boyloaf, Ateke Tom, Farah send emissaries to Clark
Meanwhile, Niger Delta warlords, including 'General' Boyloaf, the second-in-command to the detained Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) leader, Henry Okah; leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante and Niger Delta Patriotic Front, Tom Ateke and Dagogo Farah are sending separate delegations to Abuja today to discuss and present a common position to the Federal Government on the condition for laying down their arms and paving the way for the smooth take off of the newly created Ministry of Niger Delta.
The meeting is being coordinated by Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, who is brokering peace between the Federal Government and the militants. Niger Delta activist, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, and the chairman of the Federal Government Committee of Peace and Conflict Resolution, Senator David Brigidi, were said to have also pressurised MEND, which declared a ceasefire yesterday to give peace a chance.
Vanguard confirmed that two of the militant leaders, Ateke Tom and Dagogo Farah, called Chief Clark yesterday afternoon to confirm that they would send their representatives to the meeting.
Chief Clark who was initially unsettled that MEND rebuffed the peace move by the Niger Delta elders was elated, yesterday, that "the boys were beginning to see reason."
It was learnt that the Federal Government was happy with the latest development.
Boyloaf appointed members of his delegation for the meeting on Saturday, while Chief Ekpemupolo, who has been coordinating the meetings of the Ijaw Youth Leadership Forum (IYLF) at Oporoza in Delta State for over a year now, also sent in word that he would send a delegation to the meeting.
It was also learnt, yesterday, that Chief Clark had met with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to brief him on the plan of some Niger Delta elders to find an enduring solution to the new-fangled crisis.
Mrs. Azuka Okah, the wife of Henry Okah, at whose instance the MEND released two South-African hostages, last weekend, visited Chief Clark in Abuja.
Vanguard learnt that the Federal Government had been contacted on the peace moves by Clark and it has endorsed the steps being taken by him.
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