The man behind the gold shades and camouflage jacket is the self styled General Boyloaf, his real name is Ebikabowei Victor Ben. In the past he鈥檚 commanded thousands of young militants who demanded the people of the Niger Delta receive more benefits from the oil production in the Nigerian region. Today he鈥檒l take your calls.
The commander has renounced the use of violence in peace deal but he remains a senior MEND figure (MEND stands for Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.) The organisation remains split into factions with the use of violence being the key divisive issue.
Here is a recent 主播大秀 profile of MEND.
(You may have seen that earlier this week, one MEND faction took responsibility for an attack on oil facilities.)
It's worth adding that the attacks in Abuja during the 50th anniverary celebrations were attributed to MEND but General Boyloaf had nothing to do with them. In fact he condemned the actions.
That said, there was a time when he believed violence was justified. He was responsible for some spectacular and deadly attacks against the oil industry and Nigeria government, perhaps the most infamous being an attack on a Shell off-shore facility.
It鈥檚 thought that in the past The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) cut Nigeria's oil production by one-third - causing spikes in the global oil price.
Many of you on Facebook are keen to talk to Mr Ben, we have many interesting questions for him already.
You鈥檙e keen to find out how he justifies the violence he鈥檚 used in the past, why he鈥檚 accepted peace and what makes him different from an ordinary criminal? No subjects are off limits.
Another area I'm interested tro discuss is whether the wealth created by a country's natural resources should be shared across the nation. Or does the region - in this case the Niger Delta - deserve a disproportionate amount of the benefits.
one cannot be a member of a rebellious armed group and the legitimate state at the same time.the government must not waste tax money on mend members whopretend to want to leave the group. from monta in zambia@
Comment sent via BLOG
18:15
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Chintan in Houston on the blog - How much responsibility does his group taking in intentionally trying to sabotage pipelines and create a bigger environmental disaster on the locals due to the resulting spills?
Comment sent via SMS
18:13
114292762
主播大秀 The militant of this country,their activity has bring weapon in the nation lack of security. prince Ali B.Y TARABA NIG.
Comment sent via BLOG
18:10
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Souldust on the blog - they complain about the environmental degradation yet they degrade the environment further by blowing up pipe lines.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:09
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Emmanual - Those guys are cold blooded criminals who are hiding behind the seemingly lofty ideals of fighting for the rights of the Niger Delta people. They just want to make money, crisis and headlines. I am ashamed of them as a Nigerian.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:09
113631290
Lutali in Kenya - Can you justify what you have done or was it just for fame and fortune?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:09
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Hillarie Nairobi - Do you have any apology for the victims? Since the ceasefire, what are the future means that you intend to use?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:08
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Ben in Kampala - At any point did you consider the rights of the people that were ruthlessly murdered because of your fighting?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:08
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Abayomi Abeokuta, Nigeria - What infrastructure development has MEND carried out with the millions they collected in the name of the Niger Delta?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:07
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Daniel Gombe, Nigeria - Why did you try to get what you wanted by lawless means instead of by peaceful means?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:07
113631290
Sulayman Dauda in Kaduna - The activities of mend are political and deceptive with a dangerous consequences to the political leadership.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:05
113631290
Dr Nwoko emailed - While i will not ask questions, i want to comment that what Mr. Boyloaf and his so-called amnesty seekers are doing is just postponing the evil day. The solution to Nigeria's problem is disintigration into workable entities.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:04
113631290
Theophilius Enugu, Nigeria - Having caused misery for tons of innocent people, do you regret anything?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:04
113631290
Howard in Nairobi - The ceasefire is a wise move but do you think what you were doing before was fair?
Comment sent via host
18:03
113631290
Ben S here. We''re live now with your questions for General Boyloaf of Mend - the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. What would you like to ask him? Listen here:
WHYS: Your questions to General Boyloaf
| Thursday, 11 Nov. 2010 | 17:08 - 19:08 GMT
The man behind the gold shades and camouflage jacket is the self styled General Boyloaf, his real name is Ebikabowei Victor Ben. In the past he鈥檚 commanded thousands of young militants who demanded the people of the Niger Delta receive more benefits from the oil production in the Nigerian region. Today he鈥檒l take your calls.
The commander has renounced the use of violence in peace deal but he remains a senior MEND figure (MEND stands for Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.) The organisation remains split into factions with the use of violence being the key divisive issue.
Here is a recent 主播大秀 profile of MEND.
(You may have seen that earlier this week, one MEND faction took responsibility for an attack on oil facilities.)
It's worth adding that the attacks in Abuja during the 50th anniverary celebrations were attributed to MEND but General Boyloaf had nothing to do with them. In fact he condemned the actions.
That said, there was a time when he believed violence was justified. He was responsible for some spectacular and deadly attacks against the oil industry and Nigeria government, perhaps the most infamous being an attack on a Shell off-shore facility.
It鈥檚 thought that in the past The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) cut Nigeria's oil production by one-third - causing spikes in the global oil price.
Many of you on Facebook are keen to talk to Mr Ben, we have many interesting questions for him already.
You鈥檙e keen to find out how he justifies the violence he鈥檚 used in the past, why he鈥檚 accepted peace and what makes him different from an ordinary criminal? No subjects are off limits.
Another area I'm interested tro discuss is whether the wealth created by a country's natural resources should be shared across the nation. Or does the region - in this case the Niger Delta - deserve a disproportionate amount of the benefits.
Your comments
Comment sent via SMS
one cannot be a member of a rebellious armed group and the legitimate state at the same time.the government must not waste tax money on mend members whopretend to want to leave the group. from monta in zambia@
Comment sent via BLOG
Chintan in Houston on the blog - How much responsibility does his group taking in intentionally trying to sabotage pipelines and create a bigger environmental disaster on the locals due to the resulting spills?
Comment sent via SMS
主播大秀 The militant of this country,their activity has bring weapon in the nation lack of security. prince Ali B.Y TARABA NIG.
Comment sent via BLOG
Souldust on the blog - they complain about the environmental degradation yet they degrade the environment further by blowing up pipe lines.
Comment sent via Facebook
Emmanual - Those guys are cold blooded criminals who are hiding behind the seemingly lofty ideals of fighting for the rights of the Niger Delta people. They just want to make money, crisis and headlines. I am ashamed of them as a Nigerian.
Comment sent via Facebook
Lutali in Kenya - Can you justify what you have done or was it just for fame and fortune?
Comment sent via Facebook
Hillarie Nairobi - Do you have any apology for the victims? Since the ceasefire, what are the future means that you intend to use?
Comment sent via Facebook
Ben in Kampala - At any point did you consider the rights of the people that were ruthlessly murdered because of your fighting?
Comment sent via Facebook
Abayomi Abeokuta, Nigeria - What infrastructure development has MEND carried out with the millions they collected in the name of the Niger Delta?
Comment sent via Facebook
Daniel Gombe, Nigeria - Why did you try to get what you wanted by lawless means instead of by peaceful means?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Sulayman Dauda in Kaduna - The activities of mend are political and deceptive with a dangerous consequences to the political leadership.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Dr Nwoko emailed - While i will not ask questions, i want to comment that what Mr. Boyloaf and his so-called amnesty seekers are doing is just postponing the evil day. The solution to Nigeria's problem is disintigration into workable entities.
Comment sent via Facebook
Theophilius Enugu, Nigeria - Having caused misery for tons of innocent people, do you regret anything?
Comment sent via Facebook
Howard in Nairobi - The ceasefire is a wise move but do you think what you were doing before was fair?
Comment sent via host
Ben S here. We''re live now with your questions for General Boyloaf of Mend - the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. What would you like to ask him? Listen here: