By Emma AMAIZE, S/South Regional Editor
THE fragile relationship between the Movement for  Emancipation of Niger-Delta (MEND) and the Federal Government under President  Jonathan nose-dived  in the last 24 hours, fueling fears that militants may dump the post-amnesty programme and return to the creeks.
Yesterday, MEND exploded bombs near the Eagle Square, venue of the the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations, which had President Jonathan, his service chiefs and other prominent Nigerians in attendance.

Indications that things were no longer normal with President Jonathan and the MEND leader, Henry Okah came in the early hours of Thursday, when the Police in South-Africa raided Okah’s home in search of sophisticated arms. They found none but  went away with his computers .

An unconfirmed source said there was a petition from the Nigerian Government that Okah was planning to overthrow the Jonathan government in Nigeria and was amassing arms and ammunition in South-Africa.

Barely 24 hours later, MEND warned that it would breach the 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations in Abuja and actually cause a stampede in Abuja with two car bomb explosions as at 2.00 pm.

Former Chief of General Staff (CGS), Rear Admiral Mike Akhigbe is the leader of the Aaron Team, inaugurated by MEND to dialouge with the Federal Government on the way forward after the release of Okah from detention, but, it appears there is no headway in the discussions yet.

Akhigbe, leading Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, who is an observer, Okah himself and others in the Aaron team met with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua before his death and held some preliminary talks but since President Jonathan took over, it was not clear the parley was sustained

However, some  prominent Niger-Delta leaders close to both Henry Okah and President Jonathan, who once visited Okah in South-Africa had mediated  in the fray between MEND and the Federal Government.