Posted by The PM News on
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has claimed that its commander was bribed to implicate Niger Dock Plc as the supplier of arms and navigational equipment used in the attack on the Bonga off-shore oil rig.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has claimed that its commander was bribed to implicate Niger Dock Plc as the supplier of arms and navigational equipment used in the attack on the Bonga off-shore oil rig.
The militant group, in a statement today, claimed that 'the House of Representatives, through a member, proposed a bribe of $500,000 to a top commander in the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) on Friday, August 22, 2008, desperately soliciting his help to implicate Niger Dock Plc as the supplier of arms and navigational equipment used in the attack on the Bonga off-shore oil rig.'
According to the group in the statement signed by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, 'we did not take this man and his offer seriously until an advance sum of $200,000 in cash was delivered to his camp late Sunday night, August 24, at 22:45 Hrs. MEND has no intention of returning the money which will be put to better use and will not connive with the Nigerian government through its dishonourable lower house to perpetrate such a wicked and criminal conspiracy against an innocent company.
'This same government also fabricated trumped-up charges of gun running against Henry Okah and Edward Atatah, which led to their arrest in Angola on September 3, 2007. Henry was accused of being behind a phantom coup in Equatorial Guinea and a fictitious large scale theft and supply of light and heavy weapons from the Nigeria Army armouries to militants in the Niger Delta, for which a kangaroo trial in secret is on-going.'
It further stated: 'We expect the government to deny this allegation as usual, but the important thing is that today, MEND is proud to have stood on the side of justice, truth and integrity. Virtues required in our fight to emancipate the Niger Delta from over 50 years of bondage. Yesterday, it was Henry Okah, and today it is Niger Dock. Who next will be accused tomorrow?' Niger Dock has been accused of gun-running and is currently being investigated.