Ar'adua: Militants Tackle Minsters

Ar'adua: Militants Tackle Minsters, Chide Security Agencies

INSURGENTS of the Niger Delta on the platform of the Network of Freedom Fighters (NFF) have taken on the Executive Council of the Federation, and the country's security agencies saying they have disappointed the Nigerian people on their handling of President Umaru Yar'Adua's health condition.

The group said it was disappointing that the security agencies could not furnish the country with facts of Yar'Adua's state of health since he left the country to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009 in search of healing.

Co-ordinator of the group, Mr. Nengi James, told our correspondent on phone on Wdnesday that the time has come for the Executive Council of the Federation to invoke Section 144 of the 1999 Constitution to ''settle the case of the missing president''.

Mr. James said the NFF will forced to apply others means to press ministers to uphold the sanctity of the country's constitution.

''It is a big shame that all the secdurity agencies of the Nigerian state have not been able to provide the country with the essential facts on Yar'Adua'', the insurgents said.
The insurgents spoke as a pro-democracy activist, Mr. Johnny Soye Lulu-Barango, called on the leaders of the South-South geo-political zone to close ranks with a view to evolving tangible developmental projects for the people of the zone.

Mr. Lulu-Barango said in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, ''i think this is the best time for our leaders in the south-south to put on their thinking cap, and help in making tangible contributions on the development of a constitution that will be fair to all sections of the country''.

On Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, he said, ''he should do all that is possible to squarely face what part of the Seven-point Agenda that is achievable within 18 months''.

In the mean time, the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), an insurgent network which comprises of some units of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the Reformed Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (R-NDPVF), and a couple of other groups, said they have started to hit at some strategic economic facilities in the volatile oil and gas region.

JRC Spokesperson, Bakabio Walter, is claiming that they are responsible for some of the incidents have taken place in the oil region recently. ''We have been carrying out pockets of attacks on oil facilities to press home our demand for justice'', he said on Wednesday.

According to him, the most recent of their attacks was the one at the early hours of Wednesday, February 10, 2010. ''On this day, one of our special commando units attacked and exploded the Tura Manifold belonging to Shell and located opposite Abonnema community in Rivers State''.

The said manifold connects Nembe Creek, Adamama, Belema, Soku Field, Ekulama 1 and Ekulama 2 Flow Stations to the Bonny Export Terminal.

''Our patriotic fighters fought and overpowered the military guards on duty (As all Shell Manifolds are always heavily guarded) before going ahead to explode the Tura Manifold. This is a follow up to an earlier attack on Obunama Creek last weekend'', the insurgent group said, pointing out that the goal is to effectively incapacitate the Bonny Export Terminal and reduce effectively, the export capacity and income of the occupation Nigerian State in readiness for an all out confrontation where they shall be resoundingly defeated.

Continuing, they added, ''in furtherance of our mission to achieve independence, our patriotic force attacked the heavily guarded Chanomi Creek in the early hours of Thursday, February 11, 2010 and overpowered members of the occupation force of the Nigerian State.

''The trunk line which belongs to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and transports crude oil from Escravos to far away Kaduna Refinery was exploded. Also, a gas pipeline connecting to Lagos was bombed in the process. With this, we have successfully cut off the supply of crude oil to Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical and part of the supply of gas to Lagos.

''The actions are continuous and are preparatory to the final war. Every little step we take today brings us closer to freedom.''

ENDS

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