The Atlas Cove Jetty Attack; Where Lies The Wisdom ?

Source: huhuonline.com

“When liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood it is hard to shake hands with her.”

Oscar Wilde.


I have always maintained unapologetically that MEND literarily recognized as the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta is a criminal band of despicable hooligans who are bent on exploiting the popular Niger Delta agitation to make negative ends.

For the past three years we have seen at its best a group claiming to freedom fight for the deprived but in equal proportion having attributes and mentalities traceable to the same system of governance they claim to oppose. There is nothing that differentiates the poor wisdom traits exuded by MEND from that of Babangida, Abacha, Obasanjo or Yar'adua in governance; with the actions of MEND we have seen attributes of deception, fraud, blood thirstiness, reckless disregard for human life and so on. They have displayed that their 'mission' is mindless, mischievous, unprincipled and of ulterior motive and goal.

The current rave of kidnapping for money ravaging Nigeria was pioneered by these faceless goons who are clearly emboldened by faceless fifth columnists who wish the country nothing but ill. Lacking in wisdom and foresight like the governments they claim to oppose their actions have reduced the country to a white washed painted sepulcher; their actions is very similar to that of an offended fool who instead of standing up and fighting his offender frontally, prefers to turn around and destroy surrounding property and equipment in protest.

Sometime I wonder if these rogues are Nigerians, do they really have the Delta struggle in mind. Has MEND ever considered that in a system like Nigeria, what they are doing would never yield any positive return except for more devastating oil spillage, environmental and health hazards?

It beats me that a group that has anti oil spillage as one of its goals would now blow up pipelines passing through and underneath poor fishing communities. These guys are simply buffoons.

Things have gotten extremely more difficult and costly with the near unavailability of petroleum products – a consequence of indiscriminate destruction of the already comatose oil installations by these rascals.


Understanding the Nigerian mindset remains a mystery to me despite my being a full blood. I have being actively going through blogs for the past one week and it is shocking to note that at least 68% of contributors are in support of these dregs.

How do you explain the towering blog texts claiming support of these rascals despite the proven effect of their actions on the poverty stricken people? But, a friend of mine a cyber security consultant recently chipped in that those in support of MEND must either be based out of the country and hence out of touch with reality or agents of an evolving grand cyber war fare aimed at giving an international impression MEND is popular. He recently sent me a link to a blog text in radical support of MEND by someone claiming to bare the name Dahiru Mustapha in which he (Dahiru) even regrets being a northerner – how can you reconcile this lie knowing what the stand of the typical northerner on the current debacle is, so this guys are good, I give it to them and they are consciously willing and working towards giving the impression they have a Pan Nigerian support base.

Does it mean these blind and ill informed MEND protagonists are unaware of their criminal and ulterior motives? It is easy to see through. Let me ask, how come MEND has never taken the battle to the likes of Odili and Ibori who are strong collaborators in the demise of the Delta, how come MEND has never brought jungle justice to the door steps of the likes of Ambassador Edem who spent 776 million naira of delta commission development money on rituals? How come MEND hasn't brought fear and intimidation to the numerous Senators and Representatives of south-south origin who team up with the centre to continue the deprivation they pretend to fight?



MEND recently named Rochas Okorocha as their agent in negotiation with the Federal Government, which is just one besides their belated endorsement of Ndutimi Alaibe as the Special Adviser emeritus to the government. It tells you a lot about these characters, if they could openly endorse these above mentioned men who have played prominent roles is the debasement of the Delta then it gives a clear picture of their own antecedents and behind the scene activities. Rochas Okorocha is yet to account for the numerous Niger Delta related police equipment contracts he frittered away under Babangida's autocratic regime.



The attack on the 50 million litre Atlas Cove Jetty was unfortunate, unprovoked and youthfully exuberant. It was idiotic to say the least and it is alarming to see someone of the height and intellect of Prof Tam David West justify the attack as 'a strategic one aimed at pushing the agitation to new frontiers and not aimed at the inhabitants of the area' which happens to be the Yoruba's. I reckon David West seemed at the moment to be deluded by his occasional fits of senility.

I watched Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos visit and commiserate with innocent victims of the jetty attack while David West justified it on the flip side of the divide. There was weeping, sorrow and moaning. Babatunde Fashola and other symphatisers obviously moved by the scale of destruction and pain caused wondered aloud “were lies the wisdom in attacking and inflicting pain on a people who host and share your popular call for a redress”. It can't be justified; the attack was simply heartless and malicious, it shows that the so called freedom fighters are nothing but exuberant with a penchant for reasoning with their backsides as against the head. Having turned their territory to a no go area for development they decided to carry over their devilish but destructive spree to a state were the government is fighting tooth and nail to upgrade and better the socio infrastructural life of the inhabitants.

Ethnicity and reprisals is going to become a new dimension, The Odua People Congress, OPC led by Dr Frederick Fasheun is threatening an equal and effective response if such cowardly attacks are brought to the south west states again, he was reported to have asked MEND to place boundaries and limits to its 'suspicious agitation'. Arewa Peoples Congress APC have also cautioned of their ability to cause anarchy if attacked. So we see were this is leading to.


I am happy, Nigerians especially those based in Lagos have seen through this latest show of stupidity. In their droves they have continued to condemn the attack as reprehensible and provocative. So many claimed MEND has lost its good will and erstwhile sympathy and in the view of many they are a selfish band of scoundrels who are self destructing naively. Last month, Asari Dokubo an insider man dismissed MEND which he knows pretty well as faceless criminals who hypocritically hold on to the freedom fight toga for selfish pecuniary ends. They have exploited the boom in ICT to spread mired tissues of lies, deception and falsehood and Nigerians must not be hoodwinked. Our popular call for a change and redress in the way we are governed shouldn't be predicated on arrant criminality, faceless intimidation, deliberate misconceptions or distortion of facts.


MEND has gone Biblical in their latest propaganda using Moses and Aaron to justify their 'mission', but they need to be reminded that Moses and Aaron in their confrontation with Pharaoh never took inducements from behind nor did they carry out actions or miracles that brought pain and worsened the situation of the captive Israeli's. Moses and Aaron never engaged in activities that could be likened to the present day armed robbery or bunkering.


On a very good Sunday like this I will like to leave this passage for MEND since they seem to carry the Bible along in their 'mission'.


Habakkuk 2: 6-8 & 10-11

6 “But soon their captives will taunt them.
They will mock them, saying,
'What sorrow awaits you thieves!
Now you will get what you deserve!
You've become rich by extortion,
but how much longer can this go on?'
7 Suddenly, your debtors will take action.
They will turn on you and take all you have,
while you stand trembling and helpless.
8 Because you have plundered many nations;
now all the survivors will plunder you.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
and filled the towns with violence.
10 But by the murders you committed,
you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives.

11 The very stones in the walls cry out against you,

and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.


An agitation or fight for emancipation does not afflict or further deprave the downtrodden; it is defined with targets; it is guided by principles within the ambits of harnessed intellect and ideology. It is not faceless nor rash neither is it self centered or deceitful. It is guided by upright and mentally healthy minds and is not championed by those lined with drugs, vice, lucre and charms.

MEND is what it is; a faceless criminal group affiliated deceptively to the south south governments of the day the later who are willing collaborators in the willful annihilation of the Delta. The earlier we stop getting deceived the better.


These are the views of the writer( N Benedict, [EMAIL=][email protected][/EMAIL])

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