Blog

dismisses (1)

MEND dismisses FG’s amnesty offer By Agency reporter

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on April 3, 2009 at 6:00pm
Published: Saturday, 4 Apr 2009The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta on Friday dismissed an amnesty offer from the Federal Government of Nigeria as ”unrealistic” and charged that the military was being put on warpath in the Niger Delta.Skip to next paragraphclick to expand imageFileSome suspected members of MENDAFP reported that MEND said it would only agree to a peace process in which the United Nations and ”reputable international mediators” played an active role.It also repeated its call for the government of President Umaru Yar‘Adua to release one of the group‘s leaders, Henry Okah, who is on trial for treason.“MEND considers the amnesty for surrender of arms offer by Yar‘Adua as unrealistic. Such an offer by a government known for its insincerity must first be given to those who are being held captive by the Nigerian state for the rest of us to take seriously,” MEND said in an e-mail to the media, referring to Okah.“Ironically, it should be the people of the Niger Delta considering amnesty to the military and the past and present leadership of a corrupt Nigeria for the evil perpetrated in the region,” it further said.President Yar‘Adua said on Thursday that his government was ”working on terms for the granting of amnesty for those who are prepared to lay down their arms.” He gave no further details.At a meeting of the national executive of his ruling People‘s Democratic Party, he also said the government was buying new equipment for its special military force in the Niger Delta to better fight militants in the region.MEND said, ”As the government prepares its military for war against the peace loving people of the Niger Delta, we wish to warn that the freedom fighters are ready. Our differences have been put aside to face a common enemy.”The past three years have seen an upsurge in militant activities in the region with frequent attacks on foreign oil companies and a wave of kidnappings of expatriate employees and relatives of prominent Nigerians.The unrest has drastically reduced Nigeria‘s oil output, with daily production currently standing at around 1.78 million barrels, according to the International Energy Agency, compared to 2.6 million barrels in 2006.
Read more…

Latest Blog Posts

Most Popular Blog Posts

Blog Topics by Tags

  • in (506)
  • to (479)
  • of (339)
  • ! (213)
  • as (166)
  • is (157)
  • a (156)

Monthly Archives