There was palpable tension in many parts of the Niger Delta as speculations became rife on Wednesday that a militant group in the region, the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND, could resume attacks in the country on Friday.
Media reports quote MEND as saying in a statement signed by its spokesman, Gbomo Jomo, that it would commence a series of attacks in the country, code named “Hurricane Exodus”, at midnight on Friday.
The statement describes the planned attacks as “a direct repercussion of a forged threat letter contrived by the Nigerian and South African governments purporting to have originated from MEND”.
“The attacks will commence 00:00 Hrs, Friday 05, April 2013 and will be sustained until an unreserved apology is offered to MEND and the Nigerian government shows their willingness to dialogue,” Gbomo is reported to have said in the statement.
MEND said the fake threat letter was used as evidence against their leader, Henry Okah, who was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment by a South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Shortly after Justice Neels Claaseen of the South Guateng High Court in South Africa sentenced Henry Okah to 24 years in prison for his alleged role in the October 1, 2010 bombing incident in Abuja, the group had issued a statement rejecting the sentence.
In the statement signed by “Comrade Azizi,” MEND described the sentence as “the height of injustice to our region and people, which will be resisted by all means necessary.”
Mr. Okah, as leader of MEND, was found guilty of masterminding the October 1, 2010 bombing in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, and an earlier one in Delta State.
http://premiumtimesng.com/news/128149-mend-threatens-to-resume-attacks-in-niger-delta-on-friday.html
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