Daily Independent (Lagos)
14 July 2009
Jos/Warri/Lagos — Lagos, the freewheeling city, played host to militants on Sunday night with devastating effects.
Four Naval officers and four civilians were killed at the Atlas Cove jetty in the first attack ever carried out by the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) outside the South South.
Hours later, MEND leader, Henry Okah, who has been in detention for two years on treason charges, was set free at the Federal High Court in Jos, at the behest of President Umaru Yar,Adua, who directed Attorney General and Justice Minister, Michael Aondoakaa, to submit a letter to that effect.
Okah,s release on Monday is part of the amnesty Abuja has granted all militants willing to lay down their arms.
However, at the news of the attack, long fuel queues quickly resurfaced in Lagos, which alone consumes 15 million litres of the 32 million litres sold daily nationwide.
Atlas Cove is the main depot from where imported refined fuel is lifted to Lagos and the outer states.
It went up in flames minutes after 12 midnight and the inferno lasted till day break.
MEND Spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, confirmed that the group launched the attack, despite weeks of reports that freedom would be granted Okah, upon whose release the MEND had hinged its cessation of hostilities.
The militants exchanged fire with Naval men guarding the facility on Tarkwa Bay, before they used dynamite to hit 10 pipes.
Both Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral lshaya Ibrahim, and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director, Sanusi Barkindo, have visited the scene to assess the destruction.
About 20 workers were injured in the fire, and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has evacuated its members, which means oil lifting will at the jetty will stop until normalcy is restored.
Zonal Chairman of the Petrol Tanker Drivers of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Tokunbo Korodo, said about 10 tanker drivers received burns.
However, Ibrahim and Barkindo gave an assurance that the incident would not cause serious fuel scarcity, and the damage would be repaired to restore distribution.
Ibrahim described the attack as "quite unfortunate, despite all the efforts and security put in place to ensure an attack-free zone in the NNPC facility."
"The Navy will continue to guard Atlas Cove. We want to assure Nigerians that the perpetuators will be brought to book, and we will deploy more security in the area to prevent future occurrence."
Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Chairman in Mosimi depot, Adebisi Bada, also said his members have enough products to dispense until the damaged pipes are fixed.
Atlas Cove is the most important depot in Nigeria, he reiterated, because it supplies products to the South West, which consumes 60 per cent of fuel in the country.
It equally serves Mosimi System 2B that supplies depots in Ibadan, Ore, and Ilorin. Bada warned that the attack could affect distribution if the pipes are not repaired quickly.
Attacks on oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta have cut more than 20 per cent of exports since 2006. The incidents have shut plants operated by Shell, Chevron, and Agip.
However, Barkindo promised that "despite the attack and damage on our facilities at the Atlas Cove, the NNPC will not cease to supply products across the country. The channel will be diverted for effective distribution."
Governor Babatunde Fashola,s Spokesman, Hakeem Bello said: "The incident is still being investigated by the security agencies concerned."
"But I must say that the Lagos Government will not tolerate any act of criminal sabotage in any part of the state."
Gbomo explained in a statement that the problems of "our dear country Nigeria have nothing to do with militant freedom fighters but with the corrupt political leadership and certain arrogant tribes still living on past glory."
"A boardroom or creek battle of epic proportions which will either emancipate the Niger Delta from over 50 years of tyranny or subject her to perpetual slavery was flagged off (on Sunday night) by Hurricane Moses with a plague of warning attacks."
"Led by a pillar of fire, heavily armed MEND fighters, at about 2230 hours, carried out an unprecedented attack on the Atlas Cove jetty in Lagos. The two-pronged approach of combining dialogue and intensifying attacks throughout the course of negotiations will be the unique characteristics of Moses."
"Only two gunboats were used with a total of 18 well armed and experienced commandos. The Naval resistance was weaker than anticipated, because after the first shots were fired by them, we responded with heavy caliber machine guns which made them to flee."
"We regret any civilian loss of life that may have occurred in the attack."
"The Aaron team that will be put together after consultations with stakeholders from around the globe, militant commanders, and Okah, will present the time framed demands of the Niger Delta to (Yar,Adua) through Timi Alaibe, leader of the government delegation."
However, Alaibe condemned the latest violence and urged the MEND to suspend all attacks on oil installations, and to begin the process of laying down arms and finding an enduring solution to the problems in the Niger Delta.
He said there is hardly any Nigerian alive who disagrees with the fact that the region has suffered neglect over the years in which many lives have been lost.
He added: ,,The show of frustration has so far graduated from the placard carrying-era and intellectual war to full declaration of physical combat characterised by kidnapping and bloodletting.
"From the era of Isaac Boro, to the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his compatriots, and the incarceration of Dokubo Asari and Henry Okah, this hostility has only brought us tears, bloodshed, and sorrow."
"It is incontrovertible that at no time in the history of this country has the Federal Government demonstrated the level of understanding and appreciation of the crisis than its recent engagement of an amnesty process for the people involved in violent resolution of the crisis."
"Sadly, this demonstration of uncommon courage and understanding by (Yar,Adua) has not been reciprocated."
"I dare say that this attack and indeed any future attacks on sensitive oil and gas installations is condemnable, unnecessary, diversionary, and uncalled for."
In Jos, Justice Mohammed Liman ordered the release of Okah, considering the letter submitted to the court by Aondoakaa, who said the government has "extended hands of fellowship to Okah, he has gladly accepted the offer" and "based on the powers conferred on me by Section 174 1(c) of the Constitution, I hereby withdraw all cases against the accused and pronounce him free."
Okah,s counsel, Femi Falana, welcomed the amnesty but noted, nonetheless, that "while we are not opposed to the termination of the case, we try to impress it on the court that the best course of action in the circumstance was to have come under Section 175 1(a) of the Constitution in order to capture the amnesty that has been extended to the accused person."
Okah himself expressed gratitude to the media for standing by him through out his incarceration, and the MEND expressed appreciation to God and to the government for dropping the charges.
Gbomo, the MEND Spokesman, noted that "now (Okah) will be able to deal with his health, spend time with his family and revive his business. We hope that the hundreds of other men and women languishing in detention over the Niger Delta issue will also be set free.
"For those killed extra judicially by the Army and police, we pray for their souls. The MEND considers this release as a step towards genuine peace and prosperity, if Nigeria is open to frank talks and deal sincerely with the root issues once and for all."
By Paul Arhewe, Victor Ebimomi, Adeola Yusuf, Akinwunmi King ,Harris-Okon Emmanuel, and Onoja Audu
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.
