Posted by The PM News on
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has rejected an offer of $20 million dollars (about N2.3 billion) made to it by the Federal Government to fend off attack on staff of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has rejected an offer of $20 million dollars (about N2.3 billion) made to it by the Federal Government to fend off attack on staff of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The militant organisation had on Monday 4 August, warned the German construction giant to vacate all project sites in the FCT as from today.
Following the threat, MEND claimed in a statement on a website that the Federal Government, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, offered $20 million to it as bribe to prevent the impending attack on Julius Berger.
In a statement signed by Jomo Gbomo, the group's spokesman, and made available to P.M.News, MEND reiterated its warning that staff of Julius Berger vacate all project sites in Abuja, from today.
'To demonstrate our seriousness, MEND has rejected an offer of a $20 million bribe by the Federal Government through its Chief negotiator, the Secretary to the Federal Government.
'We suggest that the government puts that money to better use through the moribund National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), by providing relief materials such as tents, blankets, medicine, pottable water to the displaced Agge Community in Bayelsa state,' MEND stated last night.
However, effort to confirm MEND's claim about the bribe from the Federal Government proved futile at press time.
The Niger Delta militant group warned that disregarding its threat would amount to putting the expatriate staff, including the two currently being held hostage, at risk.
MEND, in a statement issued last week, warned that failure to vacate its staff from construction sites and halt all ongoing projects in the FCT 'will result in unprecedented deadly attacks on the expatriate staff of Julius Berger inside Abuja and other parts of the country, until they comply.'
The police authorities, which are not taking the threat lightly, have warned MEND not to come near Abuja, as such move would amount to a suicide attempt.
According to reports, security has been beefed up in Abuja and its environs, while security agencies have intensified patrols in the FCT to ward off any attack by the militants.