Movement for the Emancipation of the
Niger Delta on Sunday claimed that its fighters killed the 12 policemen whose boat
was ambushed in Azuzama, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa State, on Saturday and that the
deaths were to teach the security forces a lesson for scorning its warning.
The militant group had last week
announced that it would resume attacks in the oil rich Niger Delta by Friday to
avenge alleged collaboration between the Federal Government and South Africa to
jail its former leader, Henry Okah. Security agencies had dismissed the threat
and said they were ready for MEND which tagged its promised resurgence of attacks,
‘Hurricane Exodus.’
MEND, in an online statement on
Sunday, also disclosed that two of its fighters died in the exchange of fire
with security agents. The crossfire lasted for 40 minutes.
It said it intercepted and engaged
government forces in a fierce gun battle and killed the security agents in the
process.
According to the militant group’s
statement signed by its spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, MEND said it would remain
resolute in its resumption of hostilities. It also expressed the hope that
Saturday’s clash would serve as a lesson to the Joint Task Force and stop it
from making ‘careless’ utterances.
The JTF however on Sunday said its
operatives had now been placed on the alert to forestall further violence in
the restive Niger Delta.
Curiously, the Police commissioner in
Bayelsa, Kingsley Omire, said the killing of his men had nothing to do with
MEND’s threat of last week and said that he believed that the 12 policemen were
still missing and their whereabouts was still a subject of intense search.
Omire blamed the fate of the
policemen on a dispute between the gunmen and the government over their amnesty
payments. The Federal Government has been paying all militants that laid down
their arms under its amnesty programme commenced since 2010.
The MEND’s statement on Sunday reads,
“For dismissing Hurricane Exodus as an ‘empty threat’ heavily armed fighters
from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, at about 17:00 Hrs.,
Saturday 06, April 2013, intercepted and engaged government security forces in
a fierce gunfight lasting over 40 minutes at Azuzama, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa
State, Nigeria.
“The clash which happened in the
river left over 15 security forces dead as we also lost two (2) of our fighters
in the battle. We hope this encounter will serve as a lesson to the Joint Task
Force from making careless utterances that cannot be backed as we remain
resolute in our resumption of hostilities.”
The militant group advised oil firms
and members of the public to disregard the false sense of security being
peddled by the JTF even as it disowned one Comrade Azizi who claimed to be its
spokesman and advised members of the public to ignore his (Azizi) comments.
“All oil companies and the public are
advised to ignore the false sense of security been peddled by the JTF as well
as the false comments from a “Comrade Azizi”, who claims to be the spokesman
for the group.
“This person is not known to MEND,
does not speak for MEND and his utterances and style do not reflect our plans
and actions,” it maintained.
The JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Onyema
Nwachukwu, in a statement on Sunday said, “Our maritime and air assets have
also been mobilised and we have intensified our patrols to dominate both land
and water ways to check any assailant. We will not permit any lawlessness that
will jeopardise the peace in the region.
“We again call on all peace loving
and progressive Niger Deltans to dissociate themselves, their communities and
leadership from this gang of retrogrades parading themselves as MEND.”
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