War Coming? Tension In Niger Delta As Tompolo Summons MEND Ex-Warlords In Bayelsa

There was concern in the military circles in the Niger Delta region on Thursday following the planned meeting of leaders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

Following the planned meeting of leaders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), there was concern in military circles in the Niger Delta region on Thursday.

The meeting, slated for Izon House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, is being convened by MEND leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo. A terse invitation, a copy of which was made available to a reporter, reads:

“My dearly beloved Commanders and Leaders of various wings of the Movement of the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), I greet you all.

It is my pleasure to humbly invite you to a very crucial and urgent meeting as follows:

Venue: Izon House, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Date (of the meeting is) Saturday, July 25th, 2015. Time (is) 2pm Prompt,” concluded the letter, which was signed with Tompolo signing off with his traditional title – Izon Ibe-Ebidouwei of Izon nation.

When contacted, Tompolo said the meeting was to deliberate on recent developments in Nigeria as well as the fate of the Niger Delta region in the current political dispensation.

Speaking through his media aide, Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, who did not divulge further detail about the meeting, said the MEND leaders would chart a path for the progress of the region.