More states evacuate indigenes from Maiduguri •As MEND threatens to resume hostilities in N/Delta

Posted by admin Borno, Headlines, Niger Delta, Raw Politics, State News Thursday, July 14th, 2011

FOLLOWING contined violence as a result of the war declared on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, by members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, more state governments have ordered the evacuation of their indigenes studying in the town and those on exchange programmes.

The Bauchi State government, in a release signed by the Director of Press, Office of the Governor, Maigari Khanna, made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday, said it had arranged that its indigenes studying in Maiduguri be evacuated.

It, however, said indigenes studying at Government Girls Secondary School and Ramat Secondary School, currently writing their third term examinations, would not be evacuated now.

It noted that the schools authorities had assured of the safety of the students, adding that they would be evacuated as soon as they finished their examinations.
Also, the Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has ordered the evacuation of citizens of the state from Borno State.

The governor, according to a release signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, said logistics needed for the immediate evacuation, which is to be handled by the State Emergency Management Authority (SEMA), had been made available.

The release also said those to be evacuated included youth corps members, young, old, aged and all citizens of the state in the troubled state.

In a related development, the Edo State government has evacuated 100 students of the state origin at the University of Maiduguri and helped to evacuate 50 students of Ondo State origin stranded in the state.

The students, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, were evacuated on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), on Thursday, in an online statement signed by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo and sent to the media, threatened to resume hostilities in the Niger Delta.

It also said it had begun re-training of new fighters in various camps, preparatory to the hostilities.

In the statement, MEND said it was unhappy to hear that suspected Boko Haram members arrested for the bombing of the Force headquarters in Abuja would not be prosecuted.

Reacting, spokesman of JTF, Lieutenant-Colonel Timothy Antigha, in Yena-goa, Bayelsa State, on Thur-sday, said the JTF would study the threat.

-Tribunewp_posts