The new Defence Minister, Major-General Godwin Abbe (rtd), has frowned on the ultimatum given by the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) that the Federal Government should withdraw the military Joint Task Force (JTF) from the oil-producing region.
Fielding questions from State House correspondents after yesterday’s weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which held at the Presidential Villa, Abbe, who was only last Monday redeployed from the Interior Ministry to Defence, said the decision as to when to withdraw the task force would be taken by the Federal Government when the condition for such action was perceived to be conducive.
Abbe, however, stated that the Federal Government welcomed the 60 days ceasefire declared by MEND and urged all militants to take advantage of the amnesty offered by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to embrace peace.
The following short encounter took place between Abbey and the correspondents.
Reporters: What is your reaction to the MEND declaration of 60 days ceasefire?
Abbe: These are good signs. We expect that following from this ceasefire, all aggrieved Nigerians in the Niger Delta should embrace the offer of amnesty in good faith and totally.
Reporters: Is government going to talk to them?
Abbe: Government is willing to talk to anybody. Government will be willing to relate with anybody that can bring peace in this country.
Reporters: How do you see the condition they have set aside that the JTF should be disbanded?
Abbe: They can’t give condition to government. They can’t. No they can’t.
Reporters: That means you are not accepting the condition?
Abbe: We are not rejecting either. I have not rejected it but they can’t give condition to government. Government was not invited in the first instance to come there, and government will make decisions as to the deployment of troops when the conditions becomes ripe enough, and when law and order is comfortably established.
Reporters: They have already appointed Rochas Okorocha as their mediator, are you going to negotiate with them?
Abbe: Who has appointed Rochas Okorocha?
Reporters: MEND.
Abbe: If he declares himself a militant, yes, we will start dealing with him
Speaking at the 15th Non-Aligned Movement summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Presi-dent Yar’Adua explained that his administration extended the amnesty offer to the Niger Delta militants as a way of preserving peace and security in the country.
According to the president, this approach became imperative in view of the fact that in today’s world it is difficult to win an argument or justify one’s actions through terrorism, violence and blood birth. He expressed optimism that this approach would surely result in lasting peace in the region.
According to the President, “Since one of the ideals of the non-aligned movement is to oppose all forms of aggression while preserving peace and security, one should note that in today’s world, it is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for any individual or group to win an argument, no matter the seeming justification, through terrorism, violence and blood-letting.
“That explains why back home in Nigeria we have extended the olive branch to Niger Delta militants by way of amnesty so that those who have engaged in acts of violence in the bid to call attention to their plight can all join the efforts to build a prosperous society for their people.
“We are confident about the practical and moral imperative of this approach. We believe it will work, and we recommend it as a way to go for tackling the numerous conflicts that abound in many of our countries.”
But the ceasefire declared by the militants was on the brink of collapse yesterday as MEND claimed that the military authorities were moving troops to attack militant bases.
The statement released by MEND spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, read: “Barely 12 hours into our ceasefire, the military Joint Task Force has dispatched seven gun boats with heavily armed troops from Warri and are headed towards one of our camps located around the Delta/Ondo State border.
“If this information from a very reliable source within the JTF happens to be true, the ceasefire will be called off with immediate effect.
“We are monitoring the armada and sincerely hope that the planned attack will be converted to a war exercise.”
But the spokesman of JTF, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, said that they were mindful of the amnesty terms and would not do anything to rock the boat.
The exchange came as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mike Okiro, rose from a closed-door meeting with some militants, prominent among them, Solomon Ndigbara aka Osama Bin Laden, with the assurance that the Federal Government would not violate any of the amnesty terms but warned that at the expiration of October 4, 2009, anyone who refuses to accept the amnesty should be ready to face the consequences.
Abubakar, meanwhile, said they had refused to respond to all forms of provocation by militants just to ensure they did not go out of line with the Presidential directive and dismissed the allegation of troop movement as “misleading, unfounded and diversionary and yet another mischief which is not only false, malicious but incredible”.
According to the JTF spokesman, “It is on record that the JTF is in total observance and obedience to the recent amnesty proclamation by Mr. President. This could be explained by its patience of not responding to the series of attacks by MEND on pipelines and installations. Therefore, the JTF as a security implementing outfit cannot carry out any acts contrary to achieving set objectives as far as the amnesty for militants is concerned.
“MEND’s claim that we mobilised seven gun boats with armed soldiers to carry out an attack at a camp near Delta-Ondo border today is diversionary and has no iota of truth, as our actions are guided by the prevailing situation now. Why must JTF attack anybody, group or camp now, knowing well that the amnesty is fully in place?
“The JTF is in all places within the Niger Delta region carrying out patrols and escort duties in addition to its normal military duties. Does MEND want the JTF not to carry out these duties?”
Responding to the 60-day ceasefire MEND declared from yesterday, the JTF spokesman said it was unnecessary since they had never declared war on the group since their duty is to restore law and order and providing security for law abiding citizens.
“Moreover, the JTF has been observing and respecting the amnesty period as proclaimed by Mr. President during which we have not been carrying out any Search and Rescue Operation or any form of aggressive exercise for that matter, and even when MEND rascally engaged in the destruction of oil installations, the JTF remained restraint in not acting in contrast to the government’s peace efforts. However, we will continue to monitor and carry out our normal duties in Niger Delta within the ambit of our mandate and the amnesty proclamation by Mr. President. The public should not be deceived,” Abubakar said.
In his meeting with repentant militants, the IGP said everything was working well according to plan, but could not put a figure to the number of guns so far submitted since some of them were coming in trickles.
He assured them that whatever the Federal Government promised to do concerning the amnesty would be fulfilled and said it was a proof that it meant business in restoring law and order in the region through a peaceful means.
Okiro denied that there were fears among the militants, and pointed out that since the first person surrendered, others had seen the consistency of government and were taking advantage of the amnesty offer.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the Atlas Cove attack raised a fresh question whether there “is no limit to the Niger Delta agitation”.
The governor, however, said the government of Lagos State “is on the top of the security situation”, appealing to his residents to be calm.
Fashola spoke yesterday at the State House in Marina after a close-door meeting with state security chiefs, which comprised representatives of each wing of the Nigeria Armed Forces, Nigeria Police and State Security Service (SSS) among others.
Addressing the State House correspondents after the meeting, Fashola, who first commiserated with the families of the victims of the Sunday attack, said the attack was off the limit of the Niger Delta agitation.
He said: “The attack was the most unfortunate attack, the most unstrategic and the most ill-advised. I say this because it raises questions about what the agitation is all about. It is in the context for the fact that this agitation has been largely supported by the media based in Lagos.”
The governor said the attack “raises a question whether there is no limit to this agitation. Even in war, there are areas that are off limit. Lagos is a friendly and host state. These are very serious issues to define the ambit of this agitation.
“The attack is no use given this point because Lagos itself has been a victim of neglect for so many years. If you are agitating for development, does it mean a peaceful, protective and developing state becomes a fair game? If this was a mistake, it will never be repeated.”
Jul162009