LAGOS: Due to the threat issued by the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) to blow up MTN Nigeria's infrastructure in the Niger Delta, the company has called for tighter securities. MEND last week, threatened to destroy MTN Nigeria infrastructure in the Niger Delta because of alleged incarceration of its leader Henry Okah by President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. MTN is a South African company. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and MTN Nigeria however, yesterday called on security agencies to prevent them from carrying out the threat. MEND leader, Okah is currently standing trial in South Africa for the October 1, 2010 bomb blast which killed scores in Abuja. The movement group accused Zuma of colluding with Nigerian officials to deny Okah bail in South Africa. MTN's spokeswoman, Funmi Omogbenigun, issued a statement saying the facilities built by MTN Nigeria and other telecommunication companies are key to the ICT revolution in Nigeria. These facilities also aids the accelerated socio-economic development of our nation and damaging them would adversely affect Nigerian people. She stressed that threats and matters related to national security and critical national infrastructure are the responsibility of the Federal Government of Nigeria. She further called on the government and the security agencies to do something, and urged that the MEND threat like others be given immediate attention.
