7th February, 2012
The Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta says it has identified seven men who were responsible for bombing an oil pipeline belonging to Italian oil giant, Agip.
Lt. Col. Timothy Antigha, spokesman for the task force, made the disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Monday.
He listed the suspects as Friday Burutu, Lord Onipa, Robinson Agagudu, Eyala Karo, Stanley Uduorie, Para Ekiyes and Rasmus Omukoro.
The JTF spokesman then advised the suspects to give themselves up before the long arm of the law reaches them.
“These suspects are advised to turn themselves in for interaction with authorities of the Joint Task Force in Yenagoa, latest 12 noon of February 8, 2012,” he said.
Antigha stated that the suspects and their collaborators were “out to deceive Niger Deltans by appropriating the identity of the erstwhile leadership of MEND to advance their selfish interest.
“For the avoidance of doubt, people who were in the leadership of MEND are now responsible members of the society, having accepted the amnesty,” he said.
The JTF spokesman urged the public to remain calm and discountenance lies issued by the suspects as the reason for sabotaging the pipeline.
He said the relevant stages of the amnesty which was granted to authentic former militants and all the attendant benefits were still on course.
NAN reports that a statement purportedly issued by MEND had claimed responsibility for the attack on the Agip Brass trunk line in Bayelsa on February 4.
The extent of damage to the pipeline has not been ascertained yet.