Nigeria: Militants refuse amnesty offer

  1. Posted on Sunday 5 April 2009 - 11:25
    Murtala
    Image of Murtala
    Murtala Kamara Mohammed, AfricaNews reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    The main militant group in Southern Nigeria, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) has refused to accept an offer by President Yar'Adua with a condition that they lay down their arms. Yar'Adua said he will grant amnesty to those militant who make up their mind to lay down their arms.
    niger delta
    The President who was speaking at the 47th meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said “we are working on the terms for the granting of amnesty to all those who are prepared to lay down their arms in the Niger Delta and this amnesty will include not only laying down their arms, but reintegrating and rehabilitating them into the Nigerian society.”

    Yar’Adua further revealed that "we are funding a re-positioned Joint Task Force (JTF) to enforce law and order in the area and we have worked out the new rules of engagement for the JTF, giving it a period of six months. Next week, the National Security Council will meet to deliberate and finalise on the new rules of engagement’’ he said.

    In a reaction to the president’s statement, MEND spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, said Yar’Adua’s amnesty offer is unrealistic according to This Day newspaper. Gbomo further said in his online statement that "The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) considers the amnesty for surrender of Arms offer by Mr Umaru Yar'Adua as unrealistic. Such an offer by a government known for its insincerity must first be given to those who are being held captive by the Nigerian state for the rest of us to take seriously.’’

    He continued "MEND and the Niger Delta people will only subscribe to a holistic peace process where the United Nations and reputable international mediators will be active participants, ironically, it should be the people of the Niger Delta considering amnesty to the military and the past and present leadership of a corrupt Nigeria for the evil perpetrated in the region."

    MEND is claiming to be fighting for a fair share of there regions oil wealth, until recently the group is specialized in hostage taking and demanding of ransom. MEND have in the past disturbed the supply of oil in that country forcing the Nigerian government to set up a special ministry to end the impasse.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  11. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  12. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  13. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  14. Algerians vote in parliamentary election10/05Polls have opened in Algeria for parliamentary elections which the authorities have billed as more free and transparent than ever before.
  15. Sierra Leone: Girl 13, dedicates life to…08/05Annette Sam, now 13 was diagnosed with a hole in the heart in 2006. His father a teacher by then could not afford funds to treat the young Annette.
News archive