Here are a few of the reports around at the moment from 'Jomo Gbomo', a MEND spokesman, to newspaper reports, JTF official spokesman an texts from friends in Delta state. The truth is out there somewhere
Jomo Gbomo this morning:
Considering that ours is a war of detachment and our camps are not meant to serve as permanent barracks, fighters from Camp 5 simply relocated to another camp with all their weapons and ammunition's intact. This is normal in guerrilla warfare.
We are embarrassed at the dismal performance of the Nigerian armed forces who performed like poorly trained amateurs by bombing indiscriminately into civilian communities using helicopter gunships and fighter jet planes. Civilians should have been allowed to leave the area before the attack. This simply has shown that the government is insensitive to the Niger Delta people.
If the army's mission was to also rescue the hostages, then that again was a botched and ridiculous attempt because the hostages were not at any immediate risk to their lives except for their temporary freedom.
We regret to announce that two hostages have been killed by the indiscriminate shelling and two more are still in our custody. We are happy that all of them were not killed by the army. The bodies of the dead men will be handed over to the Red Cross. MEND deeply regrets the avoidable deaths.
It is not true that the army captured a plane from Camp 5. If my memory serves me right, the plane in question is a toy remote controlled plane which can be purchased from any toy shop. It is rather shameful that they can not distinguish the difference between a toy plane and a drone.
As promised, we have begun nibbling again at the oil infrastructure. Already, two major trunk pipe and gas lines which were recently repaired have been blown up. This is just the tip of the series of attacks we plan to carry out.
For the Nigerian government to declare victory, troops must be able to secure every inch of pipelines and eliminate the over 500 camps stretching from Ondo to Akwa Ibom.
What the government has been successful in doing is committing genocide against the Ijaw communities whose offense it seems is discovering oil in their backyards.
Our message to the Northern Sultans and Emirs is this: The period of exploiting the Niger Delta is coming to an end. It is not the birth right of your people to rule the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The war is just beginning and by the time it ends, Nigeria will practice true federalism such as fiscal federalism which will benefit the entire populace. Let your people brace themselves to develop their resources and such a bold change will be remembered.
Our fighters in Delta state have not requested for reinforcement from other states. They are conducting the battle very well and every night the military is depleted by about an average of ten soldiers.
General Tompolo is alive and well. He was in unilateral discussions with the government on a peaceful way forward but that did not mean he would close his eyes and watch soldiers disrupt a local festival by harassing innocent visitors to the event.
Since they did not disrupt the Argungu festival in the North, it was not acceptable to disrupt ours in the South. The skirmish which saw the loss of over twenty soldiers and an officer as well as the sinking of two gunboats on Wednesday the 13th of May which the army has found it hard to admit resulted in the punitive expedition of the Gbaramatu kingdom.
The British hostage, Mr Mathew Maguire has been relocated to Delta state and will be a guest of one the camps there.
Nigerians should now brace up for the worst from the decisions from an incompetent leadership.
The Niger Delta people who have endured injustice and genocide for over 50 years must be ready to fight for change as our destiny should not be in the hands of others but ourselves.
Since the destruction of pipelines, manifolds and flow stations will be numerous, we may not announce everyone of them as it happens.
Jomo Gbomo
Local newspaper (including quote from the JTF Commander, Major General Sarki Yakin Bello - despite statements by the JTF earlier in the week that they knew where the militants were but as Nigeria is not at war it was not necessary to attack them):
The waterways in Delta State have been blocked as the troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) continue with military operations to flush out militants in the hideouts.
This comes as governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on Saturday met behind closed door with top echelons of the task force, Ijaw leaders and other stakeholders in Warri.
The JTF on Friday announced the rescue of six Filipinos and four Nigerians in its offensive against militants. They were held hostage by the militants in their Camp Five in Delta State.
It also said it had recaptured the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) chartered tanker, MV SPIRIT and the cargo ship hijacked by militants at the Chanomi Creek in Delta State.
The JTF also said its troops have routed and captured the Camp Five militant camp.
Militants from the Camp had JTF troops along the Chanomi Creek. Also the hijackers of the vessel and ship came from there. The camp is led by one Tompolo.
Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre, Col Rabe Abubakar said "the whole area around the Camp Five is under our JTF control. Everywhere is under control. The camp has been obliterated. Also, we have secured the NNPC chartered tanker, MV SPIRIT and the cargo ship hijacked by the militants. And the ship and vessel are intact. The militants now have got what they have been wishing for, a confrontation from JTF. And they are on the run."
The NNPC chartered tanker was to deliver condensate but was hijacked by militants on Wednesday and diverted to Warri Port.
The cargo Ship, also hijacked by the same militants from Camp Five at Chanomi Creek, was also sailing to Warri.
The JTF, in announcing the offensive, said it was conducting a "Cordon and Search" operations, aimed at liberating the people of the Niger Delta from further intimidation, harassment and extortion.
It accused the militants of using freedom fighting to perpetrate criminalities in the region.
Colonel Abubakar had earlier alerted that in the search for the militants, "there could be serious gun battle which may cause the militants to flee to their main camps. And this may lead to our torching such camps." And this the JTF did.
But the whereabouts of the Captain of the tanker, MV Spirit, Napoloen Empasis, which brought condensate to Warri before it was hijacked by militants at Chanomi creek and six other Filipinos were on Saturday yet to be ascertained.
The nine Filipinos and four Nigerians who were rescued during the military ''Operation Search and Rescue'', in Camp Five near Oporoza were brought to the shore with two of them sustaining bullet wounds and being treated.
They included, Kenneth Ekpo, Joel Villanneva, Akin Olayenju, Babalola Akeem, Cecilio Echivare, Ronaldo Charezma, Marciano Grantola, Lagura Nicholas, Nosa Okoro, Marcelo Epe, Francis Solvera, Ulysis Akut and Ernesto Flores.
One of the Nigerian crew, Akin Olayenju, described the experience as horrendous, but expressed gratitude to God for saving their lives, saying "I thank God. What we saw was too much because we carried PMS and if any bullet had hit it, it would have exploded."
A Filipinos who gave his name as Ernestos Flores while recounting his ordeal expressed shock at the scope of the operation, saying that "it was very terrible."
Commander, JTF, Major General Sarkin Yaki Bello, said categorically that his men would not rest on their oars as the time had come to put militancy out of the region.
Government, he stressed would no longer condone any group seizing a portion of the country and call it their own, saying that "we will kill as many of them that come."
He said that the action of the military should be commended for dislodging the notorious Camp Five, adding that, "no responsible authority will allow such camp to exist."
He confirmed the death of one soldier while putting the casualty rates of the militants on the high side.
Bello refuted allegations that some riverside communities were leveled by the troops of the JTF, saying that offensive was aimed at Camp Five where militant activities had been going for years now.
"No community has been sacked. But I will advise that people should not venture into the waterways because of the insecurity. Military operation is still going in that area," he added.
He added that the task force has sacked the camp and has stationed military personnel there to check any reprisal by the militants.
Notorious leader of Camp Five, Government Ekpemepulo (a.k.a Tompolo) was feared killed during operations which lasted for hours.
Meanwhile, as part of measures to restore stability in the coastal communities between the JTF and some armed youths, Governor Uduaghan held a stakeholder consultative meeting in Warri with key personalities from the communities and some security operatives in the state.
The meeting sources said had in attendance the Deputy Governor, Professor Amos Utuamah, the Secretary to the State Government, Ifeanyi Okowa, the State Director of the SSS, Senator James Manager, (House of Representatives member for Warri Federal), Daniel Reyenieju, Honourable Solomon Funkekeme, erstwhile Deputy Govermer of the State, Chief Benjamin Elue, Chief Tunde Smooth, Chairman Warri South West George Ekpomupolo as well as some commissioners.
The meeting, it was learnt, reviewed the present situation and adopted a strategy to restore peace in the area.
Part of the decision arrived at was the need to prevail on the Military authorities and the Presidency to stop further action in the creeks.
Text:
Kokodiagbene & remainder of Okeronkoko (iroko camp) near Chanomi Creek are being destroyed by 2 plane bombers and about 15 gunboats
Quote from another website:
Bristow Grounds all Flights: It has been confirmed that a Bristow helicopter was hit at Abiteye in Bayelsa State on its way to Escravos. The pilot noticed the bullet hole on the plane when he landed. No casualty was recorded. Consequently, Bristow management has decided to ground all flights in the Niger Delta. All pilots have been directed to stay put in their accommodation.
Militant Camp Taken Out: Report from Chanomi Creek of yesterday's military operation indicate that Camp 5 has been leveled. Okerenkoko town was also leveled. The battle started with military helicopters bombing about 40 speedboats with armed militants into the river. The battle lasted for about 4 hours and about 400 corpses were gathered and carried away by the Army. MEND in a separate statement announced that one of the foreign hostages, they took on Tuesday, has been killed by stray bullet. About 20 hostages, including foreigners were initially taken by MEND, suspectedly to be used as human shield. The MV Spirit and 6 Filipinos and 4 Africans were set free by the military.
Pipeline Vandalisation: NNPC pipeline from Escravos to Warri was blown up by suspected militants last night. However, the flare in the Escravos terminal is off. Another information has it that Chevron pipeline at Abiteye has been strapped with dynamite by militants in preparation to blowing them up. In a similar incident, there are reports that NAOC (AGIP) manifold at Bombokiri in Brass axis was blown up by suspected militants, yesterday.
Militants Plan Big Retaliation: Information has it that due to the confrontation between the JTF and militants of Camp 5 in Delta State, MEND has ordered the blockade of all the waterway channel from Onne, Eket and Bonny. No oil industry supply vessel should be allowed to go through. Two major militant leaders, Ateke and Farah, in a meeting last night mobilised about 30 speedboats to go out from tonight for attacks. Likely targets are JTF locations and offshore oil industry infrastructures. The JTF on its part has put all locations on RED Alert.
Note: An unidentified source has spoken to the Directors of SSS in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States on the development. They also informed the source that they have been directed by higher authorities in Abuja to work with the JTF. All formations are on high alert. The Navy has deployed two vessels to patrol the Bonny to Calabar axis. The JTF is like going to strike other known militant camps.
Shell has already ordered their vessels to go 50 nautical miles south at dusk. Please advise all security vessels in Addax fields of the current threat and put them on alert.
The next couple of days will see serious escalation of the crisis in the Niger Delta, with heavy casualties. Situation is being closely monitored.
As I say, the truth is out there somewhere. To all friends in the Niger Delta - keep a low profile and take great care. Nobody is really sure where this is going
