The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has been approached by
the Nigerian government to own up to thousands of weapons belonging to the Nigerian
Army which would be delivered secretly at night to an arms collection centre if we
agree to the plan.

This desperate measure which aims to give the amnesty program some semblance of
progress has the input and connivance of the Amnesty Commitee, Ministry of Niger
Delta Affairs, Ministry of Defense as well as the Joint Task Force.

We know that some unscrupulous individuals will participate in this scam because of
the money involved and as such we are using this opportunity to raise the alarm
before Nigerians and the international community are hoodwinked.

For a government that has perfected the art of rigging elections, this latest
fraudulent attempt does not come to us as a surprise.

MEND believes in a holistic process where the root issues that prompted the unrest
are addressed and weapons are freely given up in exchange for justice.

We are happy to note that the military has vacated the Gbaramatu communities to
allow the displaced people return home and hope that the government will go a step
further by rebuilding the damaged homes or compensating those whose property were
wantonly destroyed.

Jomo Gbomo