DESPITE his denial of involvement with the militant Movement for the Emancipation of the Nigeria Delta, known as MEND, a witness in a South African court on Wednesday identified Henry Okah as mastermind of a bombing allegedly facilitated by MEND during Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary celebration on October 1, 2010.
A former member of the militant group, Victor Ben was called to the stand at the South Guateng High Court on Wednesday, where he gave a fairly detailed account of the depth of involvement of Mr. Okah in the activities of MEND.
He described Okah as a “founding member” of the group.
Saying that MEND was formed in 2004, Ben narrated to the court how the group was the brains behind the bombings that undermined Nigeria’s oil-dependent economy for quite a while, until the government stepped-in to address the situation with a multi-pronged approach under the leadership of the Yar’Adua-Jonathan administration.
The witness also said that many of the attacks were executed on the orders of Okah, whom he claimed taught him how to build explosive devices used in targeting oil installations and government buildings at the height of the group’s militant activities.
Mr. Okah often detonated devices personally, Victor Ben said, adding that Okah also drove vehicles with custom-made compartments to hide weapons and ammunition.
Ben claimed that an associate had informed him of the plan to stage an attack on the Independence Day, and that Okah was the arrowhead of the plan.
On October 1, 2010, a twin-bombing attack occurred in Abuja, surprising many as the capital city had not previously witnessed any such attack. The attack also embarrassed the government, who later worked hard to apprehend the brains behind the attack.
Henry Okah was later declared wanted by the government, after which the South African government arrested and detained him on Nigeria’s request.
He has so far maintained his innocence against growing evidence of his involvement with the militant group.