MEND denies Army raid in Niger Delta

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta [MEND] said on Monday that one of its commanders arrested over the weekend had surrendered in return for the promise of a financial reward and denied that the Nigerian army had raided his camp.

An emailed statement from MEND said "There was no exchange of gunfire and these individuals handed themselves over to the military in expectance of a reward, as promised by Jonathan," MEND said in the statement, describing the President as a "spineless stooge".

"Weapons surrendered by these persons were less than 30 in number. Items displayed by the Nigerian military did not come from that camp. This was staged."

The Joint Military task force [JTF] paraded a militant commander known as Obese and 60 of his followers before the media on Saturday, saying they had been arrested and five AK-47 rifles, 12 machine guns, ammunition and bullet-proof vests seized.

Obese, 25, whose real name is Tamunotonye Kuna, was believed to be responsible for the kidnapping of 19 oil and construction workers freed last week, including two Americans, two Frenchmen, two Indonesians, one Canadian and 12 Nigerians.

The authorities have described the freeing of the hostages and the arrest of Obese as a key victory in the Niger Delta.

In its first reaction after the army announced mass arrests in a raid last week, MEND vowed "to bring oil companies operating in Nigeria to their knees."

I am sick of this so - called "MEND" ,they lack intelligence,after the amnesty what remain now are "yahoo boys",busy sending mails every second in response to events,whether soldiers caught up with them or not they are sure of one thing'they will die in obscurity except they stop their low thinking menace'.