Posted by By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt on
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has claimed that the Nigeria Army has executed militants captured in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has claimed that the Nigeria Army has executed militants captured in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to MEND, in a statement posted on the internet, and signed by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo; 'the Joint Task Force (JTF) of the military, today, carried out summary executions of all the cultists captured yesterday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, without following the due legal process as required by law.'
The group condemned the alleged execution, saying 'regardless of the perceived offences of the men, it is not for the military, but for the law courts to decide the penalty for each of the individuals. 'This action again demonstrates the indiscipline and frustration of the Nigerian military. In spite of the obvious fate that may befall any of its captured fighters, MEND has given the directives to its fighters to refrain from taking the lives of any captured military personnel, so that we do not stoop to their level.'
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As a result of sporadic shooting from a group of cult boys belonging to Soboma George's cult group, the outlaw, at the Abuja area of the old Port Harcourt township, there have been conflicting reports on the number of casualties on the side of the cult group.
When P.M.News contacted the Joint Task Force spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, he revealed that only two cult boys were killed during the shoot-out, while 20 were arrested, and are still alive.
It was gathered that the shooting by the cult boys, was a reprisal attack following the arrest of two of Soboma's boys by the security forces.
Immediately the cult boys started their shoot-out in the early hours of yesterday, the Joint Task Force moved in and subdued them.
In the past, each time Soboma's boys were arrested and detained in a police station, there was successful rescue mission to release them .
In 2005, for instance, Soboma George, who was detained alongside some other cult members in the Port Harcourt prison, broke jail, and over 120 inmates were released including Soboma.
And in 2006, Soboma was arrested by the police over alleged traffic offence and was detained at the Central Police Station in Port Harcourt.
Less than an hour after he was detained at the police station, over 50 fully-armed cult members came, docked their boat at the waterfront and marched to the police station, shooting from the waterfront.
They were said to have burnt about 7 vehicles belonging to the police, threw dynamite, and released Soboma successfully. In 2006, his house was blown up by the Airforce, but he escaped.