Angered by last Sunday’s threat by the Movement for the Emancipation
of Niger Delta, MEND, to commence bombing of mosques and killing of
Muslim clerics as from May 31 over the terror campaign and killing of
Christians by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, northern youths yesterday,
promised to deal a deadly blow on the militants should they carry out
its devilish plan even as former agitators and clerics in the
Niger-Delta differed on planned attack.
Although the Arewa youths did not specify their mode of retaliation,
they warned MEND not to arrogate to itself the monopoly of violence.
The northern youths’ warning was handed down by the National
President of the Arewa Youths Forum, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Gujungu in
Abuja.
Gujungu made it clear that the threat by MEND would not in any way
deter northerners and other Nigerians from fighting back should they
attempt to make real their threat.
The AYF leader said,”the most recent threat by MEND is indeed,
unfortunate, callous and counter productive, especially coming at a time
when patriotic Nigerians are making strident effort and sacrifices to
resolve the current security challenge.
“MEND, as usual, is putting spanners in the works for unpatriotic
selfish economic benefits. It is painful that these elements are
threatening more violence despite the colossal amount being paid their
leadership and the training of Niger Delta youths abroad by the Federal
Government to the obvious disadvantage of other Nigerian youths outside
the region.
“MEND and its members are hereby warned that they do not have
monopoly of ideas, strength or ability. The youths of the north and
other Nigerians are united and shall face them to truncate any of their
threats which are aimed at separating Nigerians along religious or
ethnic divides for their selfish economic goals.
“It is very sad and mind boggling to note that instead of supporting
and ensuring that President Jonathan succeeds in finding a lasting
solution to the present security challenge in the north, MEND has
re-opened another insecurity theatre in the Niger Delta to cause
distraction and make him fail.
“The obvious disrespect, which MEND shows to President Jonathan as
not being among those they respect enough to intervene in the ongoing
debacle, is food for thought, to say the least,” Gujungu noted.
Some ex-leaders of the militant group contacted by Vanguard,
yesterday, opted to keep sealed lips with one of them, saying, “You
know our position on this matter. As far as we concerned, MEND is dead,
those threatening anything in the name of MEND are paper tigers.”
However, the spokesperson of the defunct Niger-Delta Liberation Force,
NDLF, “Captain” Mark Anthony, threw his weight behind the planned action
by MEND, while a prominent activist, Mr. Augustine Ogedengbe, cautioned
against retaliatory attacks by any group from the region.
In the words of “Captain” Anthony, “If MEND can carry out their
threat, it will be a welcome development, the Christians Boko Haram
roasted with bombs in hundreds are human beings. While we were in the
creek, we made preparations to pay Boko Haram in their own coin, but
Niger-Delta politicians pleaded with us never to carry out operations in
the land.
“Now, my hands are tied as Federal Government has granted me amnesty
and my group, NDLF, and I have sworn to an oath never to engage in
violence. I am now a toothless bulldog and cannot bite,” he said.
Rev Usifo, who opposed the plan by MEND to take up the gauntlet for
Christians said, “They should not burn mosques and kill Muslim clerics, I
am not in support of that. But I want to say that Christians should arm
themselves and also seek the services of security agencies to guard
their churches. In a situation where people come to attack them and burn
their churches, they should defend themselves”.
Activist, Mr. Ogedengbe, said he would want MEND and any other group
claiming to represent Niger-Delta to be mindful of the fact that Boko
Haram was fashioned to frustrate the Federal Government, headed by a
Niger-Deltan and carrying out reprisal action could precipitate more
bloodbaths.
Nigeria is heading for disintegration unless ——Southern Mandate
Meanwhile, the Southern Mandate has warned that sponsors of the sect
must halt their activities forthwith, or else the insurgency will plunge
Nigeria into disintegration.
The group said in a statement issued in Abuja, yesterday, that the
sustained explosions were targeted at discrediting the administration of
President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We foresee that there are no two ways about it –the consequence of
Boko Haram’s present activities is the disintegration of our dear
country in the near future”.
“In the circumstances, we wonder why some Nigerians could still
regard Boko Haram as an enemy only to President Jonathan and his
government. However, it is time to tell ourselves the bitter truth: the
earlier all Nigerians from the North and South realize and confront Boko
Haram as a common enemy, the better for the unity of Nigeria”, the
group said in the statement signed by the group’s President-General and
South/South Coordinator, Tito Zuokumor and Dr. Wilson Omene,
respectively.
The group condemned those who blame President Jonathan for the
prevailing insecurity without considering the attendant result of
sitting on the fence and allowing sectional violence as a tool to score
political goals, with which some political figures have been identified.
“Let the truth be told that there is no region or ethnic nationality
in Nigeria that is weak. The West, East and South-south all have the
capacity to create a similar scenario of deliberate insecurity in their
zones to make any administration ungovernable just to score political
points.
“And if such acts of artificial insecurity are perpetrated by a group
or groups of persons from a part of the country without resolvable aims
and objectives other than to waste innocent lives just to deny a
particular region the right to attain the presidency or complete the
constitutionally stipulated tenure of office, then we have got to check
ourselves, apply restraint in whatever we do, and not acting with
impunity as is presently the case with some self-seeking politicians
fuelling the Boko Haram activities. Otherwise, we are all heading for
the doomsday.
“We are all not unaware of the political aim of Boko Haram, but we
fail to see beyond the kite which the group and their sponsors are
flying in the air and progressively piloting us to disintegration”,
Southern Mandate insisted.
It added that “the serial bomb explosions and death of innocent
Nigerians are receiving applause from certain quarters today because
those behind the barbaric acts believe they are winning the battle
against Dr. Jonathan’s presidency, unmindful of the fact that they are
laying landmines for the nation’s disintegration.
“The determination of a few selfish individuals seeking the highest
political office to “do everything possible, whether good, bad or
terrible to unseat President Jonathan” for fear of becoming too old to
occupy the presidency if Dr. Jonathan is allowed to remain in office for
two terms, must be stopped”.
The group urged all good-spirited Nigerians to support the federal
government in tackling the present menace in order to avoid similar
bombs exploding from other parts of the country tomorrow.
It claimed that Nigeria’s unity was being preserved by the
petro-dollars from crude oil in the Niger Delta region and that the
people of that region had borne the brunt of oil production for several
decades in the interest of the entire nation.
Destination of all suicide bombers is hell——Sheik Gumi
In a related development, renowned Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Mahmud
Gumi has said hell is the destination of all suicide bombers. The
cleric, in a sermon monitored yesterday pointed out that while young men
commit suicide, they ought to reflect that those leaders who send them
to their deaths do not commit suicide or send their children to die in
the same way.
Gumi who has been critical of the Boko Haram sect, said in the
sermon: “The prophet said the way to Paradise is easy for those that
follow his path. Despite this ease of entering Paradise, those that
commit suicide for whatever reason have guaranteed for themselves the
Hell Fire forever”.
According to him, “People are forbidden to wish for death talks less
of committing suicide. Islam is a practicable religion. Whoever
therefore will be taken by fanaticism or sickness or depression to kill
himself, he has condemned himself to eternity in the hell fire”.
He stressed that whoever will explode himself with explosives for
whatever reason or disguise will also continue to be in his explosion in
hellfire forever, stressing that this is what the hadith teaches.
Suicides, he warned, are tormented by the same means they employ to kill
themselves.
“Today we see young men killing themselves with explosives in the
name of Jihad yet they never reflect that those ‘leaders’ that send them
to such adventure never commit suicide nor send their children to
commit it.”
