MEND STRIKE OIL FACILITY

JTF, SHELL DISMISS CLAIM

San Francisco (THEWILL) - The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has said it attacked an oil pipeline belonging to Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell in Abonema, Rivers State but the Joint Task Force and Shell have said no such attack has been reported.

MEND claimed the overnight attacked was a ‘Warning strike’ carried out with rocket launchers, assault riffles and machine guns.

Gbomo Jomo, MEND’s spokesperson in a statement said 35 fighters struck at 0200hrs blaming the Nigerian government for using President Yar’Adua’s illness as an excuse to stall negotiations over the amnesty deal.

“While the Nigerian government has conveniently tied the advancement of talks on the demands of this group to a sick president, it has not tied the repair of pipelines, exploitation of oil and gas as well as the deployment and re-tooling of troops in the region to the president’s ill health.

“While wishing the president a speedy recovery, a situation where the future of the Niger Delta is tied to the health and well being of one man is unacceptable.

“The government, through the Bayelsa State Governor, Ministers for Defence and Information has been disseminating propaganda aimed at foreign investors claiming that the situation in the Niger Delta is under control. This assertion is far from the truth.

“Also the government has been offering bribes to a number of militants who surrendered their birth rights under its amnesty programme in the form of contracts. The government perceives these individuals to wield some kind of influence in the region. The group wants to make it abundantly clear that all those who have capitulated are of no significance to the continuation of the struggle.

“MEND is committed to continue its fight for the restoration of the land and rights of the people of the Niger Delta which has been stolen for 50 years.

“MEND remains open to dialogue; however, the indefinite ceasefire ordered by the group on Sunday, October 25, 2009 will be reviewed within 30 days from today, December 19, 2009”, the group said.

If the group’s claim is confirmed then the peace plan of the Yar’Adua administration may be derailed.