The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), has said that it was responsible for the damage of Shell facilities, which caused further pollution of the environment in Ogoniland and other communities in the Niger Delta region. The pollution was said to have been due to crude oil spills and gas leakages, which MEND claimed, was caused by its attack codenamed, ‘Hurricane Exodus.’
A statement issued yesterday and signed by MEND’s spokesman, Jomo Gbomo read in part : “This first plague of blood is a sacrifice for freedom we will all have to endure.
“Since our last update, ‘Hurricane Exodus’ continues to gather strength as it sweeps through the swamps and creeks in the Niger Delta, leaving seriously damaged Trans Niger and Feeder pipelines, harassed security operatives and scurrying oil workers in its wake.”
The group said its efforts at sabotaging the oil sector was being complemented by what it called, industrialised oil theft, allegedly aided and abetted by the security
forces in the region.
It gave names of the agencies as, the Joint Task Force (JTF), Eastern Naval Command, the Marine Police, the State Security Services (SSS) and the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration Agency (NIMASA).
It also alleged that, “Politicians at the highest level of government and some unscrupulous staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are also involved in the racket.” It continued: “Oil majors are being chased away, abandoning their on-shore assets or selling them off. This is our honest advice to unsuspecting buyers in a Niger Delta, where the government of Goodluck Jonathan has refused to dialogue on the root issues, opting instead to delude itself, bribe a few miscreants and deceive the world that all is well, because of misleading assurances and bad advice from a few selfish, greedy and myopic individuals.
Off-shore operations are not a safe haven. MEND has visited Bonga before and we will do it again when the time is right.”
