> > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > OCTOBER 30th 1998 05:30 GMT & UK (06:30 NIGERIA) > For more information please contact Ledum Mitee > Tel/ fax. [+234] 84 230 250 > Tel. [+871] 761 866639 (Inmarsat) > e-mail: MOSOP [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > `SPECIAL NAVAL SECURITY TASK FORCE' ANNOUNCED FOR NIGER DELTA > > MOSOP has joined other Niger Delta community groups in expressing its > deep concern over the announced formation of a Naval Special Security > Task Force to police the Delta. > > According to a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) report on December > 25th, the Nigerian military authorities are creating the Task Force to > `protect oil installations against vandalisation'. This announcement > was credited to the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Jubril Anyinah > during a courtesy call on the Military Administrator of Rivers State, > Group Captain Sam Ewang. > > Delta communities are interpreting the formation of the Task Force as an > ominous sign that the military authorities are consolidating their > political control over oil producing areas - and the country's main > source of income - in preparation for a shift of power to civilian > administration in 1999. > > Speaking from London - immediately before returning to Ogoni to chair a > conference of the ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta - MOSOP Acting > President Ledum Mitee said: > > "The Ogoni and Niger Delta crisis presents the single greatest threat to > the sustainability of democratic reform in Nigeria. This announcement > signifies a worrying escalation of the militarisation of the Delta. > Many groups like MOSOP - who advocate non-violent resistance to > economic injustice and rights violations - are trying to create dialogue > with the authorities, to deepen their understanding of our plight. We > want to build a positive peace in the Delta. If these media reports are > correct, theb we urgently appeal to the authorities will reconsider > their decision. More militarisation will undermine the fragile, > negative peace that currently exists in Ogoni". > > "This presents a very worrying development, especially against the > backdrop of the authorities' refusal to comply with the demands of the > Ogoni people and the international community to disband the Rivers State > Internal Security Task Force. The RVSISTF still occupies and terrorises > Ogoni, under the new name of Operation Flush but still under the direct > command of Major Obi Umahi". > > On September 8th 1998 - following the release of 20 Ogoni political > prisoners who had been held illegally for more than four years - the UK > Foreign Minister Tony Lloyd said: `we [the UK government] have lobbied > tirelessly for their release and for that of all political prisoners in > Nigeria [...] We hope that this will also lead to the early withdrawal > of the internal security task force from Ogoniland'. > > ENDS. > > (c) Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), 1998. > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), > 20 Station Road, > Port Harcourt, Nigeria > Tel/ fax. [+234] 84 230 250 > Tel. [+871] 761 866639 (Inmarsat) > e-mail: MOSOP [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), > International Secretariat: Suite 5, 3 - 4 Albion Place, > Galena Road, London W6 0LT, United Kingdom. > Tel. (+44) (0)181 563 8614 > Fax. (+44) (0)181 563 8615 http://www.oneworld.org/mosop/ > e-mail: MOSOP International secretariat [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > "Lord take my soul, but the struggle continues" > - Ken Saro-Wiwa, the gallows, November 10th 1995. > > 'Ogoni is a land of half a million people in the Niger Delta region of > Nigeria. Since 1958, oil companies such as Shell have exploited Ogoni's > oil wealth, while the Ogoni people have suffered economic deprivation, > the environmental devastation of our land and the discriminatory > policies of successive Nigerian governments'. > > 'The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People demands economic > justice, human rights - including the right to choose the use of our > land and its resources - and to a future free of violence. MOSOP is the > democratic voice of the Ogoni people'.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 30th 1998 05:30 GMT & UK (06:30 NIGERIA) For more information please contact Ledum Mitee Tel/ fax. [+234] 84 230 250 Tel. [+871] 761 866639 (Inmarsat) e-mail: MOSOP [EMAIL PROTECTED] `SPECIAL NAVAL SECURITY TASK FORCE' ANNOUNCED FOR NIGER DELTA MOSOP has joined other Niger Delta community groups in expressing its deep concern over the announced formation of a Naval Special Security Task Force to police the Delta. According to a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) report on December 25th, the Nigerian military authorities are creating the Task Force to `protect oil installations against vandalisation'. This announcement was credited to the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Jubril Anyinah during a courtesy call on the Military Administrator of Rivers State, Group Captain Sam Ewang. Delta communities are interpreting the formation of the Task Force as an ominous sign that the military authorities are consolidating their political control over oil producing areas - and the country's main source of income - in preparation for a shift of power to civilian administration in 1999. Speaking from London - immediately before returning to Ogoni to chair a conference of the ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta - MOSOP Acting President Ledum Mitee said: "The Ogoni and Niger Delta crisis presents the single greatest threat to the sustainability of democratic reform in Nigeria. This announcement signifies a worrying escalation of the militarisation of the Delta. Many groups like MOSOP - who advocate non-violent resistance to economic injustice and rights violations - are trying to create dialogue with the authorities, to deepen their understanding of our plight. We want to build a positive peace in the Delta. If these media reports are correct, theb we urgently appeal to the authorities will reconsider their decision. More militarisation will undermine the fragile, negative peace that currently exists in Ogoni". "This presents a very worrying development, especially against the backdrop of the authorities' refusal to comply with the demands of the Ogoni people and the international community to disband the Rivers State Internal Security Task Force. The RVSISTF still occupies and terrorises Ogoni, under the new name of Operation Flush but still under the direct command of Major Obi Umahi". On September 8th 1998 - following the release of 20 Ogoni political prisoners who had been held illegally for more than four years - the UK Foreign Minister Tony Lloyd said: `we [the UK government] have lobbied tirelessly for their release and for that of all political prisoners in Nigeria [...] We hope that this will also lead to the early withdrawal of the internal security task force from Ogoniland'. ENDS. (c) Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), 1998. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), 20 Station Road, Port Harcourt, Nigeria Tel/ fax. [+234] 84 230 250 Tel. [+871] 761 866639 (Inmarsat) e-mail: MOSOP [EMAIL PROTECTED] Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), International Secretariat: Suite 5, 3 - 4 Albion Place, Galena Road, London W6 0LT, United Kingdom. Tel. (+44) (0)181 563 8614 Fax. (+44) (0)181 563 8615 http://www.oneworld.org/mosop/ e-mail: MOSOP International secretariat [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Lord take my soul, but the struggle continues" - Ken Saro-Wiwa, the gallows, November 10th 1995. 'Ogoni is a land of half a million people in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Since 1958, oil companies such as Shell have exploited Ogoni's oil wealth, while the Ogoni people have suffered economic deprivation, the environmental devastation of our land and the discriminatory policies of successive Nigerian governments'. 'The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People demands economic justice, human rights - including the right to choose the use of our land and its resources - and to a future free of violence. MOSOP is the democratic voice of the Ogoni people'. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
