Onwuka Nzeshi and Segun James
22 May 2009
Amidst protests and rowdiness, the House of Representatives yesterday threw its weight behind the ongoing military operation in parts of Delta State.
They also demanded that the onslaught against militant groups in the area be extended to Bayelsa and Rivers States to forestall the relocation of the militants to other parts of the Niger Delta.
The lawmakers said given the large scale criminality associated with the militant groups, it would be an aberration for the Federal Government to continue to tolerate their excesses or halt the military from crushing their apparent insurrection against the Nigerian state.
The only way out of the current clash, the House said, was for the militants to surrender their arms in line with the amnesty earlier offered to them by the Federal Government.
These resolutions followed a motion moved on the floor by Hon. John Halims Agoda (PDP, Delta) urging the House to prevail on the troops of the military Joint Task Force (JTF) and the militant groups to observe a ceasefire.
Agoda had on Wednesday presented the same motion but was advised to suspend it to allow further consultations.
Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole, has however allayed the fears that the resolution might become a licence for the troops of the JTF to trample upon the rights of the people of the Niger Delta.
Bankole, who described the Nigerian Armed Forces as one of the most disciplined, said given their track record in peacekeeping operations around the world, he was optimistic that the military would carry out their current assignment professionally and with utmost patriotism.
In re-presenting the motion yesterday, Agoda observed that the raging military operation had led to mass displacement of women and children who now live like refugees in their own country.
He acknowledged the efforts of the Federal Government to pacify the genuine feelings of the people of the Niger Delta through the institution of a master plan of development, but said even though the agitations seem to have assumed a violent dimension; the ongoing military onslaught was not the best option.
Agoda's motion however ignited a barrage of comments from other lawmakers most of whom were of the opinion that the Federal Government had for a long time handled the issue of militancy in the Niger Delta with kid gloves.
Hon. Terngu Tsegba (PDP, Benue) fired the first salvo when he said the upsurge of militancy in the Niger Delta had reached a frightening dimension with the negative influence of their activities such as kidnapping and hostage taking spreading to other parts of the federation.
Tsegba argued that if security agents did not rise to the challenge, no part of the country would be safe.
He expressed sympathy over the displacement of persons from their communities but said that rather than demanding a halt to the military operation, it would be wiser to allow the military flush out the criminal gangs whom he said had been masquerading as militants and freedom fighters.
Although Hon. Daniel Metu and Hon. Tam Brisibe backed Agoda on the call for restraint, their resistance soon crumbled as the Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Hon. Mohammed Ibn N'Allah (PDP, Kebbi), took the floor by storm and unleashed a tirade of verbal attacks on the militants.
He described the activities of the militants as pure criminality and total disregard for constituted authority.
"What is happening in the Niger Delta is pure criminality of the highest order, arising from total disregard for constituted authority. In Iraq, thousands of people lost their lives because of an insurrection against the government during the reign of former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. We can do away with 20 million militants for the rest 120 million Nigerians to live," N'Allah said.
The comment sparked off widespread protests amongst lawmakers from the Niger Delta region who demanded a withdrawal of the statement and apologies.
There was tension and proceedings of the House were stalled for at least five minutes before N'Allah in a veiled retraction said it was a "parliamentary joke".
Some lawmakers attempted to stage a walk-out but others prevailed on them to stay back. Hon. Igochukwu Aguma (PDP, Rivers), Hon. Daemi Akpanah (PDP, Rivers), Hon. Sokonte Davies (PDP, Rivers) as well as Hon. Samson Osagie (PDP, Edo) were among those who expressed disgust at the remarks made by N'Allah.
This seeming polarisation of the House along geo-political zones did not however prevent those in favour of the military option from having their way during the voice vote.
In the continuing war, the Joint Task Force (JTF) said yesterday that it had rescued two more Filipinos taken hostage by militants in the Chanomi Creeks area of Delta State.
This brings to 11 the number of Filipinos rescued from the militants' enclave since their abduction last week.
Last week, 16 Filipinos and four Nigerian crew of the MC Spirit, an ocean-going oil tanker, were held hostage by the militants.
During the invasion of the militants' hideout, nine of the Filipinos and the four Nigerians were rescued, while the men said two Filipinos were killed and two others missing.
They also said the captain of the ship and two others were taken away by the militants and have not been seen.
Meanwhile, the Naval Component of the JTF said it had captured nine militants while on patrol along the waterside of Miller Jetty in the Warri metropolis.
Although the Coordinator of the Joint Media Coordinating Centre of the JTF, Col. Rabe Abubakar, in a statement did not say if the naval operation was on land or water as it took place "along the waterside", he said the youths, whose bus was intercepted, were suspected to be militants.
According to him, following the interception, a gun battle ensued between the naval personnel and the suspected militants, which led to the killing of one of them and the arrest of nine others. Abubakar disclosed that the suspected militants are now in JTF's custody.
The JTF, however, failed to parade the suspects before newsmen when the Commander, Maj. Gen. Sakin Yakin Bello, addressed the world press on the activities of his command in the last one week.
Abubakar said the arrested men are "to assist the force in carrying out investigations to determine the level of their involvement in the militancy in the Niger Delta".
In a twist, Bello declared High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) wanted dead or alive - a week after the reports claimed the militant leader had been killed.
A very angry Bello admitted that military aircraft was used to bombard Tompolo's Camp 5 and his personal home at Oporoza, saying: "I ordered a pin point helicopter attack on Tompolo's house."
Although he did not place any ransom on the head of the militant leader, the Commander said Tompolo had been on the wanted list of the JTF for many months.
Journalists were surprised that no arrests were made during the JTF operation, a situation which gives the suspicion that every moving object in the area was killed by the invading soldiers.
The military paraded what they claimed were the weapons of the militants. Journalists were shown rusted dane guns, normally used for hunting, unserviceable collection of old guns and dirty old machetes.
It would appear that the militants' armoury was not as sophisticated as been claimed by the JTF.
No AK47 weapon, said to be the weapon of choice of the militants, was captured by the JTF, even though several militants have been said to have died in gun battle with the soldiers.
Bello refused to name the number of persons killed so far by his man, but declared that they were prepared to kill more, while also pursuing the militants to wherever they were known to hide.
Bello's declaration followed persistent questions from journalists over the handling of the operation by the JTF whose soldiers invaded the Ogbe-Ijoh General Hospital to harass and arrest doctors who were treating victims of the military attack on communities in Gbaramatu kingdom area of Warri.
The action of the soldiers forced the management of the hospital to close down and discharge all the patients.
The commander denied knowledge of the hospital invasion, but promised that such would not repeat itself.
Bello admitted that a scanty number of weapons, including a pistol, a submachine gun, an Uzzi, a rifle, and a Mark IV, among others were captured from Tompolo's personal house at Oporoza.
He denied that innocent persons were killed in the operation even when he was confronted with the fact that the attack took place on the day of a traditional festival for which a lot of people from far and near had come to Oporoza.
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This is not happening! And this statement credited to N'Allah - "What is happening in the Niger Delta is pure criminality of the highest order, arising from total disregard for constituted authority. In Iraq, thousands of people lost their lives because of an insurrection against the government during the reign of former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. We can do away with 20 million militants for the rest 120 million Nigerians to live," - can not even be imagined in this century. The world can now see the type of idiots that unfair politics put in one of Nigeria's legislature. Thank Allah for the likes of Dr Davis Sokonte.
I think the man has apologise to the nigerian for his statement he was just saying this out of anoyance. to be frank to ourself the millitant are taking the issues out of hand they are not realing fight for the freedom of thre people. the true poeple among them are just very few.the leader of tha region should be held responsiple for the killing of the innosent poeple in the current situation that resulted to this millity action.
Sentiments aside, any responsible government will not allow its soldier to be killed at the rate this miscreants have done to the Nigerian Army. Nations have gone to war because of only one missing soldier, as in Israel/Gaza.
These soldiers that were killed or missing- Are they also Nigerians at all? Do they have responsibilities to the state? Do they have families (Wife, kids, parents, coursins etc) as the members of the Ijaw communities do? Do these soldiers and sea men have rights to life as the civilians and miscreants in Ijaw communities?
Once a country looses his troops in this manner without proportionate responses, then, that state is no longer a sovereign.No President will want to be a Commander-in-Chief in that sense. No responsible Senate, or Judiciary will support such a state of affair.
The half educated/ half illitrates that are making noise on this issue therefore needs to educate themselves better about the act of govenance, statehood, and sovereingty.
Am particularly disturbed by such cries. Where were they all this while, when miscreants kidnap foreigners, rape their own people, steal crude oil and sell in exchange for arms, harrase and intimidates political opponents of their god fathers, and kill Nigerian Soldiers whenever they have taken eneough drugs?
Elections is comming in 2011. If this is not stopped, am sorry for those of you that seize the moment to critisize the Federal Government.
In regard to the niger delta crisis, i will urge JTF to stop the attack on innocent citizens of that region because, at a point, it will generate to regional conflicts in which is capable of masterminding yet another WAR in nigeria. but i do not pray for that to happen. A WORD IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i will advise the militant to produce the body of the soldiers,and end the hostitility. figthting the govment will only worsen the case of the niger deltan people.they should try to achieve thiere agitatoins through dailogue.
all these military opersations are ridiculous african leaders are ready to sacrifice their poeple for a peace of bread offered to them by their masters. Stupid How comes a giant oil producer of oil (6th in the world) run out of fuel or fuel price sky rocketing. let MEND be a challange may be the gov't can change the policy I don't support the war , but the gov't is ridiculous
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Active Discussions: Lawmakers Back Military Action in Niger Delta