SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, (THEWILL) – A group called ‘Ultimate Warriors’ Of Niger Delta has declared that the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has been disbanded but being used by Okah brothers for selfish reasons.
According to a statement by signed by ibiri Taiowoh, Spokesman for the warriors, the sole aim of the Okah brothers – Henry and Charles Okah, is to get pardon under the Presidential Amnesty Programme for themselves using the so-called MEND and the flaunted Aaron Team.
“Our attention have been drawn to statement credited to defunct MEND that is now internet-based group of jobbers and we want to let the public know that the MEND that we know under which the likes of Tompolo, Boyloaf and other ex-warlords operated has since be disbanded by the group of ex-agitators who were registered under the Amnesty Programme,” the statement read.
“The current MEND and its so-called Aaron Team 2 is a concoction of the Okah brothers and family. The sole aim of this so-called MEND and the flaunted Aaron Team is to get Henry Okah and Charles Okah pardon under the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“But they have forgotten that the Okah brothers were actually the ones who tried to sabotage the amnesty programme initiated by late President Yar’Adua and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Is it the amnesty that the Okah brothers declared as a sham and they never supported that they want the President to use to pardon the Okah brothers or what kind of clemency are they trying to push for the Okahs?
“Is it not funny that the MEND that is now Okah’s business is asking for amnesty for Niger Delta Avengers and given conditions to have them added to the dialogue team when the same MEND cannot openly ask for amnesty for the Okah brothers instead they are trying to sneak into the house through the backdoor?
The warriors declared its displeasure with the saying it is against the MEND Aaron Team arrangement because “it is utterly against our mission and their aims is in conflict with ours. What they are pushing for is freedom for the Okahs which they trying to use to sabotage our agitations for resource control, rapid development, and freedom for the poor people of the Niger Delta.”
“MEND was nowhere when this new face of the struggle started so they should stop trying to lord over us. What is happening is that MEND is trying to leverage on the renewed crisis to press for the release of the Okahs through the Amnesty Programme which the duo failed to support at inception.
“We pity the statesmen that the so-called MEND is assembling under their concocted Aaron Team 2. It is better they all back out from the Aaron Team plot because the government is not prepare to commence the dialogue from their perspective.
“Moreso, we haven’t given the so-called MEND Aaron Team 2 any go ahead to pick our representatives or constitute a dialogue team for us. This struggle is not for Okah and MEND cannot pick people for the entire Niger Delta. We are not going to hand it over to MEND to constitute team for us.
“If the government truly wants to dialogue; the grandstanding by the so-called MEND might be a clog. This is our position.”
Story by David Oputah
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