19th October, 2010
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has issued a fresh threat to bomb any campaign gathering President Goodluck Jonathan might plan to address.
According to MEND in a statement released via electronic mail today, the group will no longer entertain any enquiries, but it will send releases to media outfits to warn or make statements of claim.
The statement issued by MEND spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, warned residents of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, and all Nigerians planning to attend political campaigns of President Jonathan to be wary of their security.
“We hereby repeat our warning to residents of Abuja and all persons who will be interested in attending his political campaigns to beware,†MEND warned in the e-mail.
“MEND attributed its position to what it called a split in the country that was once united and the disunity in the Niger Delta region, which it said was sponsored by the President.
The arrest and detention of its member, MEND claimed, also informed its stance stressing, “the arrest and detention of our respected brothers and the assassination of their characters have become of great concern to us. This we cannot ignore.â€
During the celebration of Nigeria’s 50th year independence anniversary in Abuja, two bomb explosions killed about 14 people and injured several others. MEND claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group, which had earlier warned that it was planning to strike, also threatened more bomb attacks. Security was later beefed up nationwide to forestall breakdown of law and order.
A few days after the bomb blasts, coordinator of the Babaginda Campaign Organisation, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, was arrested by operatives of the State Security Service, SSS.
He was questioned in connection with an alleged text message that one of the suspected bombers sent to him.
Dokpesi was later released. But he denied sponsoring the attacks. None of the suspects arrested in connection with the bomb blasts has so far been arraigned in a court of law.
Meanwhile, the suspected former MEND leader, Henry Okah, is facing trial in South Africa for alleged gun running.
During his trial, Okah was said to have admitted in evidence a diary where he entered words like “a fight to the finish†two weeks before the Abuja bombings.
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