Anew group of militant youths has emerged in Ijaw land and they are threatening to deal deadlier blows on the Nigerian state in a manner that would make the past actions of other similar groups look like a child’s play.
The group, which is a breakaway faction from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), whose leader, Henry Okah (a.k.a. Jomo Gbomo) is currently facing charges of treasonable felony and other related offences, is led by a chap that operates under the pseudonym Sgt. Sankara.
Insiders revealed that the group which calls itself Musketeers is pro Niger Delta struggle and has vowed not to ‘slack’ in its demand for a just and equitable distribution of the wealth of the region within the states that make it up and to ensure that such resources is used to develop the region.
In a chat with the Niger Delta STANDARD, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) acknowledged knowing the existence of the new group.
He revealed that recently its leaders got in contact with him to threaten the existence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to warn that secret trial of incarcerated leader of the MEND, Henry Okah would lead to a bloody conflagration, the type that has never been witnessed in the country before.
Dr. Ekiyor further revealed: “Recently, the Musketeers called me to say they will no longer uphold the restraint order which we have given to them if certain things are not done immediately to address the so-called secret trial of Okah; the assault of the national officers of the Ijaw Youth Council and the madness that is going on now in the Ijaw territories of the PDP in Delta State”.
He asserted that a group of militants in the Ijaw region of the Niger Delta had made a case for some new thinking as per the struggle in the area and the Musketeers had supported the agitation. On MEND leader, Henry Okah, Dr. Ekiyor reiterated that the IYC is not against his trial but is opposed to the trial being made secret.
“On Henry Okah’s issue, we are not opposed to his trial; government has said that the man has committed some� okay, try him. But we are opposed to anything that is secret about the trial. “(Lt. Gen. Ishaya) Bamaiyi was tried publicly; Ogoni nine were tried publicly; people in the world over that have been involved in heinous crime, that calls for the world to know the truth were tried publicly.
A purported claim that Okah was involved in arms deal� But we are in a arms struggle and he is in the struggle so, would he have gone into the arms struggle with bare hands? He wouldn’t have.
“He cued into the process of the arms struggle and he participated and contributed his quota. And in this arms struggle, some people would be involved in strategic planning; some would be involved in intelligence; some would be involved in conflict resolution; some would be involved in direct engagement and confrontation; some would be involved in supplies, etc. to sustain the struggle”, he stressed.
The IYC President accused the governors of the core Niger Delta States viz Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa States of having their own agenda that is different from that of the Federal Government on the crisis in the region.
Source: Niger Delta Standard