The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has written an open letter to the Presidency demanding an apology to the hundreds of displaced people and relatives of dead civilians in the last military action in the region.
The group said that the military’s uncivil act was caused by the indiscriminate aerial bombings targeted at innocent impoverished communities from what it called a cowardly armed forces action that was meant to instil fear.
The letter, which was made available to the press through the movement’s spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, also criticised the President’s position to unveil an amnesty plan for the Niger Delta militants. The letter reads: “Your recent call to lay down arms as you received a report from the Godwin Abbe panel set up to work out the details of your amnesty offer is the reason I write you on behalf of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.
The whole ceremony was like a deja vu. It is no different from the show you put up when you received the report of the Niger Delta Technical Committee, which was never implemented. The civilized world expected your apology to the hundreds of displaced and relatives of dead civilians caused by the indiscriminate aerial bombing targeted at innocent impoverished communities from a cowardly armed forces meant to instil fear.”
The movement, however, said that the efforts of the panel will be another waste of time.
“The very reason for militancy is because of injustice. Fiscal federalism is among the things that will silence our guns.” It says. Despite the loss of the region to the military action and the proposed federal government amnesty to bring the whole problem to rest, the group said that the people of the region are neither intimidated by the size of the country’s armed forces nor impressed by its latest acquisitions of arms. The movement also said that several youth leaders are being arrested by the Military Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta.
It confirmed the arrest of some leaders of the Ijaw Youth Council, such as Dr. Felix Tuodolor, Jonjon Oyiefie, and Famous Daunemiegha in Bayelsa State on trumped-up charges of attempted murder. “The men are currently being detained in Yenagoa and have been kept incommunicado without access to their lawyers,” Gbomo said.
President Umaru Yar’Adua had on Thursday said that he would unveil an amnesty programme for gunmen in the Niger Delta within two weeks. According to the president, the laying down of arms would go a long way to bring Niger Delta crisis to an end.
“I urge all militants in the region to take advantage of this offer, and lay down their arms and cease all acts of disobedience to law and order,” Mr. Yar’Adua said after receiving a report on the amnesty from Interior Minister, Godwin Abbe.
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