Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) yesterday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Nigeria Navy to return cash and fish allegedly stolen from fish trawlers as well as payment for medical treatment for injury inflicted on the owners of the fish trawlers after the alleged robbery.
A statement issued last night by spokesman of the group, Gbomo Jomo, said the attack took place at Middleton High Sea in Bayelsa State.
According to the statement, “At about 1600hrs, today Sunday, May 3, 2009, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) intercepted a distress call from the crew of two fishing trawlers belonging to the Swan Fishery Company about a pirate attack around the Funiwa oil flow station on the Middleton High Sea in Bayelsa State.
“By the time our patrol team made contact with the Trawlers with numbers 150.29 and 150.30, they met the traumatised crew who narrated their ordeal in the hands of Nigerian navy gunboat crew assigned to guard the Funiwa Flow station.
“Two of the crew, Messrs Ebika Irogha and Livinus Mama showed us second degree burns on their bare buttocks from being made to sit on a hot stove for daring to resist the criminals in uniform”it said while maintaining that N2.1 million in cash was stolen.
“MEND is giving the Nigerian Navy 48 hours to return the stolen fish and cash then pay for medical treatment to the trauma victims or face our wrath,” the statement said.
After the expiration of the deadline, the pirates in Nigerian Naval uniform will be attacked and killed as an example to others as we have a zero tolerance for all acts of piracy and criminality by the military.
“Because the Nigerian government and military will respond with a denial, we are asking the Nigerian Association of Fishing Trawler Owners to independently confirm and corroborate our story by making contact with the Swan Fishery Company over this unfortunate incident”, it said.
May42009