From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Police Command, which is co-ordinating the efforts to unmask the members of the self-confessed militant group, has therefore appealed to the public for useful information that could lead to their arrest.

All the passengers and crew members on board the flight from Lagos to Abuja died in the accident.

The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Samuel Adetuyi, who urged the public to assist security agents to track down the group at the weekend, said that the claim by COMA was of national importance and pleaded that the matter should not be trivialised.

He added that as the Yuletide approaches, the command had prepared itself to secure the state against all forms of criminal activities.

While responding to questions from journalists in his office, Adetuyi said: "If there is any information about it, please come and let me know because this is a very grave national issue and it should not be trivialised. So, if there is any information that you have, please let us have it."

COMA, in a statement by its Alliance Leader, Mr. Alaye Teme and Chief Strategist, Mr. David Igbi, had claimed responsibility for the air mishap. The group attributed its attack on the aircraft to the continued incarceration of the leader of Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo.

Adetuyi also explained that there was on ground a joint task force of the police, army, air force and navy to check the activities of criminals in the state.

The task forces, he said, was being strengthened to sustain the command's anti-crime campaign.

He also hinted that more mobile policemen had been drafted from other states to Rivers by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero.

But Asari-Dokubo, charged with treason and felony, commiserated with the families of the victims of the accident.

He described COMA's claim as most irresponsible and intended to achieve nothing than to blackmail him and the Niger Delta region.

The NDPVF leader, who spoke through his attorney, Mr. Uche Okwukwu, said the statement by COMA that its members would continue to attack the infrastructure of the Nigerian state until he was unconditionally released was aimed at nothing but to present his struggle, ideas and principles in bad light.

Asari-Dokubo further said that the group's claim was also aimed at smearing his agitation by presenting him as insensitive to humanity contrary to his believe in justice, equity, peace and love.

Distancing himself from COMA's action, he said the group's claim to be in alliance with his organisation was deceitful.

"I urge the general public, the security agencies, the government and the families of the victims of the ill-fated plane to disregard the contention of this non-existing group and see Alhaji Asari-Dokubo as one who is touched by these deaths," he said.

Okwukwu explained that his client had since 2004 renounced violence when he surrendered all his arms to the Federal Government.

According to Okwukwu, Asari-Dokubo had moved from the creeks to an organised and lawful society. He said the NDPVF reaffirmed this in his brief and instructions to him during their three days incarceration when he (Asari-Dokubo) was first arrested.

The lawyer said his client was committed to non-violence and described COMA's claim as wicked and a cheap blackmail. He also commiserated with the President Olusegun Obasanjo on the death of his wife, Stella and the 117 persons that lost their lives in the Bellview plane mishap.