MEND Claims Responsibility For NNPC Refinery Blast, Says “More To Come”

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Monday, May 19th, 2014

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has taken responsibility for Sunday’s attack on pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) refinery in Okrika, Rivers State.

MEND, in a statement on Monday dismissed speculations that the attack was carried out by vandals, claiming that the facility was infiltrated by the group.

According to the statement: “This facility was infiltrated by a few of our fighters with the aid of our internal agents within the NNPC contrary to speculations that the sabotage was carried out by “pipeline vandals and oil thieves”, which is a very convenient phrase used in shielding the truth from the public,” it said, stressing that thorough investigations will reveal that the bomb fragments from the blast are the same in the Warri Refinery explosion of October 22, 2013.

The group also hinted that the attack was in line with their on-going ‘Hurricane Exodus’, and was intended to bring down the entire refining facility, warning that it would continue to attack the country’s Oil industry .

“We will persist with our attacks on the Nigerian oil industry due to the inaction of President Goodluck Jonathan who continues to rely on an unsustainable and fraudulent Niger Delta Amnesty programme which is only a guise to line the pockets of Goodluck Jonathan, his wife Patience, Jonathans cronies and members of the Amnesty Committee whose sudden wealth remains unchallenged by the Nigerian media.”

The movement noted that the Amnesty process is a fraud on Nigerians, who are being promised peace in the Niger Delta, in the absence of justice.

Unconfirmed reports say that about seven people may have died and scores of others severely injured during the explosion at the (NNPC) jetty, in Okrika, Rivers State on Sunday.