Posted by From FEMI FOLARANMI, Yenagoa on
Two major oil pipelines were blown up in Rivers State in the early hours of Monday as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) resumed hostilities against the Federal Government.
Two major oil pipelines were blown up in Rivers State in the early hours of Monday as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) resumed hostilities against the Federal Government. The latest attacks were in fulfillment of a recent threat by the group to blow up oil pipelines to demonstrate its non-involvement in the payment of $12 million protection fee to militants group in Delta State by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) officials.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, MEND claimed responsibilities for the Monday's attacks, saying its detonation engineers carried them out.
The statement read in parts: 'In keeping with our pledge to resume pipeline attacks within the next thirty days, detonation engineers backed by heavily armed fighters from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) today, Monday, July 28, 2008 at about 0115hrs sabotaged two major pipelines in Rivers State of Nigeria.
'The first pipeline is located in Kula which has been previously sabotaged by us and the second in Rumuekpe both belonging, we believe, to the Shell Petroleum Development Company."
In a related development the Network of Niger Delta Freedom Fighters led by Nengi James have condemned the alleged payment of money to those it called faceless militants.
According to the group, the allegation was not only made to rubbish the Niger Delta struggle but also to ridicule genuine militants in the region before the international community.
The statement read in parts: 'The Network of Freedom Fighters in Niger Delta is also distancing ourselves from the NNPC scam. We view the issues as propaganda by some persons in the Nigerian state to blackmail the genuine struggle of the region.
We are using this medium to inform Nigerians that those who are sponsoring the scam and the frivolous story should be questioned, to tell us the names of those that are involved in the scam rather than generalizing to unknown militants or persons. The forum sees it as a way to justify their criminality in the NNPC and warn that we will not take it kindly with such persons who are out to use the Niger Delta question to cover their illegal deals. We call on the Presidency to take on the matter; otherwise we may be forced to take NNPC to court on the issues. And this can also jeopardize the peace process."