Daily Independent (Lagos)
Ofonime Umanah, Chesa Chesa, Harris-Okon Emmanuel and Adeola Yusuf
30 June 2009
Militants on Monday blew up Shell pipelines in Forcados in Delta State, making nonsense of the amnesty offered by the government in exchange for the renounciation of violence.
That, however, did not deter President Umaru Yar'Adua who directed Interior Minister and Amnesty Panel Chairman, Godwin Abbe, to meet with Henry Okah, the detained leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), and formally offer him the amnesty deal.
Okah was arrested in Angola and extradited back home and has been on trial in Jos for gun running.
Aso Rock Spokesman, Olusegun Adeniyi, explained to reporters in Abuja that Yar'Adua hopes to conclude the diplomatic efforts with Angola to aid Okah's release in "a couple of days" if he accepts the terms.
He said Yar'Adua directed Abbe to meet with Okah in person since the acceptance of the offer is voluntary and cannot be done by proxy, and it is necessary for him to accept it before the government could proceed with the next line of action.
The MEND claimed responsibility for the attack on the pipelines, and vowed not to relent in its assault dubbed "Hurricane Piper Alpha."
Its Spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, scoffed that only criminals can accept the olive branch dangled by Abuja.
The MEND said it also sank a military gunboat and killed soldiers, in the attack described by JTF Spokesman, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, as an act of sabotage by "some criminals."
Abubakar poured cold water on the claim, and recounted that the pipelines were in isolated area, not on a platform, adding that the JTF is monitoring the situation and would soon apprehend the perpetrators.
He commended militants who have embraced amnesty, assuring them that they have nothing to fear on a noble course.
Said he: "The issue of sinking of gunboat and killing soldiers could not even arise because this was an unmanned and isolated area. More so, since May 13 to 15, 2009, these criminals have avoided any encounter with the JTF but have continued with their shameless acts of cowardice to vandalise unmanned locations, where local and law abiding communities benefit from proceeds of looking after the pipelines."
Nonetheless, Gbomo lamented that the sincerity of the government came into question again on June 26 when Abbe said the release of Okah depends on consultations with Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
"(Abbe) also lied when he said Okah travelled to Equatorial Guinea. Okah has never set foot in that country; not even as an airport transit passenger.
"In the case of Angola, the authorities in that country had severally wanted to release Okah and Edward Atatah because they had no case to answer, but were prevented by the Nigerian Ambassador in Angola from doing so."
Mujahideen Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), has also repeated his lack of interest in the amnesty.
He on Monday sued the government to court for including his name on the list of beneficiaries.
Dokubo insisted in Port Harcourt that he does not need the amnesty from President Umaru Yar'Adua since he is not a criminal - and that he is even opposed to the entire deal because those who have killed should be made to pay for their deeds.
He spoke at the conferment of an award on Rivers State Action Congress (AC) leader, Tonye Princewill.
Dokubo said the Federal Government is chasing shadows as Yar'Adua has no right to grant amnesty in this case.
He bared his mind as about 2,500 Shell workers were left confused by the company's sudden shut down of operations in the Niger Delta.
They gathered in clusters at the company's offices across the country to discuss the "unannounced" shut down, which Shell Spokesperson, Precious Okolobo confirmed in a telephone interview
The MEND had warned Shell to emulate Chevron by evacuating its staff from oil platforms in the Niger Delta.
"Chevron evacuated all its staff, about 300, from the region about two weeks ago, and I believe that our own company too should withdraw us because of this action many of us read in newspapers," said another source in Shell.
Global analysts have blamed Nigeria for oil price surge, which has now seen the world buying a barrel for over $70.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Daily Independent. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
