Warri — Cracks within the ranks of Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND),may have deepened, as the Warri Ijaw Peace Monitoring Group (WIPMG) has condemned the removal of Ms Annkio Briggs as a member of the Aaron team.
Aaron team is one of MEND's communication channels, led by Jomo Gbomo.
WIPMG also stated that it no longer had faith in Aaron team, calling on all well- meaning people from the Niger Delta to undermine the activities of Jomo Gbomo as it no longer represented the yearnings and aspirations of the Niger Delta people.
A press statement signed by the group's chairman Mr. Patrick Bigha allleged that Gbomo wanted to tear MEND apart by this singular action and also demystify the only viable means of agitation by the Niger Delta people.
"We wish to condemn the removal of Ms Annkio Briggs as a member of the Aaron team by Jomo Gbomo-one of the communication channels of the movement. It shows the carelessness and unseriousness of Jomo Gbomo."
Mr. Bigha however called on Gbomo to desist from any act that is capable of bringing MEND into disrepute saying: "Ms. Briggs has paidher due as a member of the movement and therefore should be allowed to carry out its responsibilities."
He condemned the action of Gbomo calling on those who are concerned with the Niger Delta struggle not to be "embarrassed by a faceless person, who does not recognize any good thing, others are doing in the Niger Delta."
"We wish to state that as a result of the action of Jomo Gbomo, we no longer have faith in the Aaron team. We also call on all meaningful persons in the Niger Delta to undermine the activities of Jomo Gbomo henceforth because his actions are no longer representing the interest of the people of the Niger delta" it stated.
It would be recalled that the recent acceptance of amnesty by government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) did not go down well with some members of MEND who considered the action a sell out.
The group has also seen the acceptance of the amnesty by Tompolo, who was hitherto the most sought after militant, as having taken the spirit out of the Niger Delta struggle.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200910290155.html
