*No clear mandate for them from militants

By Emma Amaize

MINISTER of Defence and Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Amnesty, Major –General Godwin Abbe (rtd.), shed light, yesterday, on why the committee is not keen on meeting with the Aaron Team, a group of eminent Nigerians with mandate from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta ((MEND) to dialogue with the Federal Niger-Delta crisis to an end.

The minister, who spoke exclusively to Sunday Vanguard, said the Aaron Team had no identity and was suffering from credibility crisis, as it has not established that it was put in place in the first instance by a consensus of former  militants to act on their behalf.

The Aaron Team comprises former Chief of General Staff (CGS), Vice Admiral Okhai Mike Akhigbe (rtd), Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka (observer), Major General Luke Kakadu Aprezi (rtd) and Dr. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde.

Besides the issue of identity, Abbe said the team had not made any contact with his committee for any meeting and the government agency would not, on its own, be seeking to discuss with an unrecognized group.

However, a senior official of MEND told Sunday Vanguard, yesterday, “I think you better ignore the minister of defence. The man does not even know what’s happening and he is behaving as if without him, nobody can meet with Mr. President.

We have ignored him, as the people that know what they are doing in the Presidency have even by-passed him in dealing with MEND. Look at the way he has been talking since, as if it’s not his duty to meet with everybody to ensure that peace returned to Niger-Delta. Why is he selecting the people to meet or not meet with?

“I will just tell you to leave Abbe alone. He is there but he does not know what‘s happening.  It is people like him that create problem for the government.

Militants

Look at the programme he was asked to handle, are those who accepted amnesty and returned arms, including Tompolo, Ateke Tom  and others not complaining that they were tired of meetings?  That  is his kind of person, he is not down-to-earth”.

However, Abbe said his committee was on top of the situation and that Tompolo, who is a strong voice in the Niger Delta struggle and other ex-militant leaders, were not in agreement with MEND on the formation of the Aaron Team.

He claimed that there was disunity over the appointment of the Aaron Team, asking, “Why do you expect government to deal with such a body?” Told there was no question of disunity as the Aaron Team was appointed by the highest echelon of MEND, he said if Tompolo and others were disagreeing with the decisions of MEND, then, it was difficult for government not to watch before taking further action.

Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko (R), the State Director of the State Secret Services (SSS) Mr. Victor Duru (M) and the Minister of Defence, Gen Godwin Abbe checking some weapons surrendered by the Niger Delta Militants in Arogbo town in Ese-Odo Local Government of Ondo State

Reminded that Henry Okah, the assumed leader of MEND, told President Umaru Yar’Adua at his meeting with him in Abuja to discuss with the Aaron Team on the way forward for Niger-Delta , he asked Sunday Vanguard, “Were you there at the meeting to know what they discussed?”

Sunday Vanguard said sources close to the meeting revealed so but he replied that he could not rely on sources that were not present at the event, adding, “I don’t know what Okah told the president”

MEND had, after the meeting between Okah and Yar’Adua, announced an indefinite ceasefire, saying, in a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, “On Tuesday, October 20, 2009,  the Federal Government of Nigeria expressed its readiness to engage in serious and meaningful dialogue with every group or individual towards achieving a lasting peace in the Niger Delta.

“This welcome shift in position conveyed to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) by Mr. Henry Okah after his meeting with President Umaru Yar’Adua on Monday, October 19, 2009 indicated the willingness of the government to negotiate with the MEND Aaron Team.

“To encourage the process of dialogue between the government and the team that MEND has selected to negotiate its demands for a lasting peace in the Niger Delta region, an indefinite ceasefire has been ordered and takes effect from 0000Hrs, Sunday, October 25, 2009.

The Aaron Team has been modified with the exit of Ms. Annkio Briggs by mutual consent. She has been replaced as the group’s liaison with immediate effect by Mr. Amagbe Denzel Kentebe”.

Indeed, the Warri-Ijaw Peace Monitoring Group (WIPMG), led by Chief Patrick Bigha, dissociated itself from the Aaron Team over the removal of Ms. Annkio Briggs.

It said, “We wish to condemn the removal of Ms Annkio Briggs as a member of the Aaron team by Jomo Gbomo – one of the communication channels of the Movement of the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). It shows the carelessness and un-seriousness of Jomo Gbomo.

“We have discovered that Jomo Gbomo want to tear apart MEND as well as demystify the only viable means of the agitation in the Niger Delta region.

Whoever that is responsible for this act should desist forthwith to save the face of MEND. It most be pointed out to Jomo Gbomo that Ms Briggs has paid her dues in the Niger Delta agitation.

Therefore, she should be allowed to continue to do her bid in the agitation. She should not be embarrassed by a faceless person who do not see any good thing others are doing in the Niger Delta. On a final note, we wish to state that as a result of the action of Jomo Gbomo, we no longer have faith in the Aaron team. We also call on all meaningful persons in the Niger Delta to undermine the activities of Jomo Gbomo henceforth because his actions are no longer representing the interest of the people of the Niger Delta”.

Investigations by Sunday Vanguard showed the Aaron Team did not want to impose itself on government as negotiators for MEND except the government recognized the role of the eminent Nigerians that accepted to play a mediatory role and invite them to hold a meaningful dialogue.

According to the MEND, “These eminent persons will be known as the Aaron Team and have our mandate to oversee a transparent and proper MEND disarmament process that conforms with international standards as the current disarmament process is flawed and lacks integrity.

“The MEND disarmament process will only come after the root causes of militancy and agitation in the Niger Delta have been addressed by the Nigerian government.”