Avengers hold fire following security reports on Jonathan’s complicity in emergence of the militant group

The Niger Delta Avengers has had a double take on its violent activities shortly after media reports said security agencies were investigating former President Goodluck Jonathan alleged by the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers as one of their patrons in the lead-up to the March 28 poll he lost as the PDP candidate to the APC last year.

The NDA is now ready to cease hostilities and dialogue with President Muhammadu Buhari’s government on certain condition: Nigeria security outfits and armed forces stop counter offensive.

“We are going to support any collective/negotiation team emerging from the Chief (Dr.) Papa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders conference to engage with the federal government of Nigeria, representatives from the home countries of all multinational Oil Corporations and neutral international mediators,” the group said.

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It spokesperson Mudoch Agbinibo also said the negotiation should be “focused on achieving the short, medium and long term frameworks and objectives to de-escalating conflicts in the Niger Delta.

The NDA has been vandalising oil and gas assets across the Niger Delta since February, vowing to ground the nation’s economy if the federal government would not restructure Nigeria and allow the Igbo and the Niger Delta to secede.

The latest peace move is spearheaded by Ijaw leader Edwin Clarke and other elders across the south-south. According to the group, the initiative is not going to be hard put to it this time.

“Most of the frameworks and objectives are clearly stated in various reports, declarations and recommendations of the likes of the Sir Henry Willinks minority rights reports of pre-independence Nigeria (1957-8), The Kaiama Declaration document, The General Alexander Ogomudia report, The Leedum Mittee headed, Niger Delta Technical Committee report and restructuring to fiscal federalism,” said the NDA.

“We are going to continue the observation of our unannounced cessation of hostilities in the Niger Delta against all interest of the Multinational oil Corporations,” it said.

“But we will continuously adopt our asymmetric warfare during this period if the Nigerian government and the ruling political APC continues to use security agencies/agents, formations and politicians to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens, suspected NDA members and invade especially Ijaw communities.”