Stop making inflammatory statements. MEND warn Army Chief

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has warned the chief of army staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai, to guard his utterances and stop making political and inciting statements regarding the restiveness in the Niger Delta region.


 MEND described as inflammatory the statement credited to Buratai that the Nigerian Army would use force if current efforts to dialogue with the militants in the Niger Delta region fail,

The group in a statement on Tuesday, July 26, by its spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, called on the army chief to stick to his principal responsibility and refrain from making provocative statement.

It said: “MEND hereby makes it clear that General Buratai’s statement is insensitive, provocative, unprofessional and prejudicial to the fair outcome of the ongoing preliminary talks regarding the Niger Delta crisis between representatives of oil companies and security agencies, on the one hand; and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), on the other hand.
“We, therefore, warn the Chief of Army Staff to guard his utterances, refrain from making political and inflammatory statements and stick to his primary responsibility.”

MEND appealed to the people of the Niger Delta to remain patient with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that it was working with distinguished personalities to secure sustainable concessions for the region from the government.

“MEND has already kick-started the dialogue process with the ongoing preliminary talks, the Aaron Team made up of distinguished and accomplished personalities from the region, are waiting on the sidelines to conclude the dialogue process.” it said.

Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Avengers has lashed out at MEND for claiming to be at the forefront of holding talks with the federal government.

The Avengers have claimed responsibility for series of bombings of oil and gas pipelines in the Niger Delta region and has insisted that it will only negotiate with the federal government if the international community is involved.

MEND has however insisted that it is the voice of the Niger Delta and has set up a team to negotiate with the federal government.