TENSION over the recent life imprisonment of six soldiers by the General Court Martial (GCM) of the Nigeria Army for supplying 7,000 arms of different specifications to the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND) at a cost of N100 million escalated, yesterday, as the militant group demanded an open re-trial of the jailed soldiers, saying their conviction was a set up to nail its assumed leader, Henry Okah.
The militant group also challenged the GCM that found the soldiers guilty of supplying about 7000 arms of different specifications to the MEND at the cost of about N100 million through one Sunny Bowei Okah claimed to be a younger brother of Henry Okah to prove that the said Sunny Okah has anything to do with Henry Okah.
In a statement, yesterday, by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, the MEND stated, “A public denial by the Okah family of any existence of a “Sunny Owei Okah” as the younger brother of Henry Okah as claimed by the Army court marshal, who convicted some soldiers for gun sales has vindicated the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)”.
“We call on the public and human rights groups to rally for these soldiers who have not been served justice by calling for an open re-trial. The fact that this mysterious middle man in the so-called arms deal has not been thoroughly accounted for, considering the role he played in such a serious allegation that has taken freedom for life away from men who have served their country”, the MEND stated.
According to the group, “The secret kangaroo General Court Marshal by the army and its claim that the convicted officer and men supplied MEND with weapons through this fictitious individual who was never mentioned earlier, nor tried or convicted considering the ‘role’ he supposedly played in such a serious allegation has confirmed that the trial of the soldiers and Henry Okah is a set-up and the men used as scapegoats”.
“MEND reiterates once again that the army has never been the source of its arms supply, except in cases where weapons are captured , nor has the group ever had any arms dealings with Henry Okah or this “brother” conjured by an inept military who we doubt, knows it’s true weapons inventory.
“It is this same military during our early campaign that publicly said militants had sophisticated weapons the military does not have. If our source was from the military, then, they should have known that they had the same things in their armoury”, the group stated.
“Meanwhile, our spies inside the military have confirmed that the army helicopter gunship we repelled was actually hit and badly damaged to the extent that it will be out of service for a long time.
“On the recent attack on a naval house boat at Nembe creek in Bayelsa state, MEND was not involved in that attack as we are still complying with the ceasefire declared after Hurricane Barbarossa, our victorious six-day oil war”, Jomo Gbomo added.