The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)says it is not happy with the Joint Task Force (JTF)in the Niger Delta because of what it calls the arrogance and cruelty of the security outfit.

The militant group was responding to questions from Saturday Independent. The group's spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, who responded to the enquiries on Thursday through e-mail, said the JTF was in the habit of killing and maiming innocent people.

But the security outfit has denied the allegations, saying they were a responsible group of trained personnel whose mandate excluded the killing of innocent people. This defence was put up by Lt. Col Sagir Musa, spokesman of the JTF, who said MEND's allegation lacked merit.

This development is coming at a time that MEND has, for the umpteenth time, asked Julius Berger to return to the Niger Delta and continue with the projects the company abandoned at the heat of the attacks on its personnel.

Only on Wednesday night, MEND had promised to intervene and secure the release of the kidnapped Israeli construction worker, Ehud Arni, even though Julius Berger was yet to show gratitude for their effort in the release of their workers.

In the response, MEND said they were not the only people who were angry with the JTF for their alleged high-handedness. "The grouse is not only from the militants alone but every right thinking person from and in that region.

"The predominantly northern soldiers that make up the JTF have come like an occupation force. They have not come to win the hearts and minds of the host communities but they have come with a certain arrogance and resentment."

The militants said the activities of the JTF portrayed combatants who "have been instructed to be cruel and disrespectful to the people. They are in delusion in thinking they are superior to the people they are supposed to be protecting.

"One does not have to be a psychic to sense the atmosphere of tension and resentment the people are now having for these northern soldiers more so with the everyday reports of killings of innocent civilians in the waterways and wanton destruction of lives and property of whole communities."

He added that "in Iraq for example, the Americans are now making efforts to learn Arabic language and culture of the people to win them over. In the Niger Delta, this is the opposite where the northerner still believes that his culture and language is superior over that of the host community. That thinking belongs to the past when the eyes of the people had not yet opened."