By Samuel Oyadongha
Yenagoa—The Joint Task Force, otherwise known Operation Restore Hope, has called on the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, to have a rethink over its plan to commence  attack on the downstream oil sector of the nation oil industry.

JTF spokesman, Lt. Col Timothy Antigha, in a statement, said that MEND had no basis for the planned attack and urged corporate organisations involved in the downstream sector to increase surveillance of their infrastructure and fleets, vet their personnel properly, increase access control and report any suspicious person to the appropriate security agencies.

Further he said, “we have observed with concern the recent threat of attack on the downstream sector of the nation’s petroleum industry by the so-called  MEND, and advises the terrorist organisation to have a re-think, as killing innocent people and destroying their means of livelihood, as they have done in the past, will not advance their negative, retrogressive and criminal disposition.

Rather, it will aggravate the lack of development of the Niger Delta region, which they claim to fight against.

“We wish to further state that its is preposterous and thoughtless for MEND to plan to destroy the lives and businesses of fellow Nigerians just because their “respected brothers were arrested and detained” for terrorism and mass murder in Abuja on Nigeria’s independence day. If MEND or whatever is left it has any iota of sanity, then it should wait for the law to run its course on its arrested members,” JTF added.

“At a time that the nation is making progress in its politics, it is rather unfortunate that some people should contemplate threatening peoples lives. In the light of this situation, the JTF wishes to advise corporate organisations involved in the downstream sector to increase surveillance of their infrastructure and fleets, vet their personnel properly, increase access control and report any suspicious person to the appropriate security agencies,” he added.

Additionally, by this threat, MEND has demonstrated clearly that it is not only the enemy of the Federal Government but also the enemy of all Nigerians. Consequently, the JTF advises civil society groups and the generality of Nigerians to join the JTF in condemning the evil that MEND represents.”