Buhari Lied About FG/militants’ Talk – Avengers, IYC

In a rebuttal of President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement that his government has opened discussions with militants in the Niger Delta, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) yesterday described the statement as “a blatant lie”. The group also called on Buhari to desist from “disturbing the genuine agitation” of the group through his alleged pseudo-peace talks, wondering when, where and who was facilitating the reported “peace talks with the group.”

In the same vein, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), yesterday urged the Federal Government to stop deceiving Nigerians and the international community that it was holding peace talks with militants. The spokesperson for the group, Brig. Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, in a post lambasted the Federal Government for being hypocritical about the parley, saying the only way such peace talk could succeed was for the president to be ready to hold talks with its “mercenaries”.

The group also flayed media reports that the president was in touch with Niger Delta agitators, including the NDA: “If there is any such peace talk, it means the president is talking to mercenaries, who are set to disturb the genuine struggle of the agitators. The Buhari-led government is not sincere with the Nigeria people and foreign allies.

“If we are to engage him in any peace talk, we made it clear earlier that the international community must be part of it. The president knows our demands. So, they should stop deceiving the international oil companies, the general public and the international community.”

Prior to this, Agbinibo had warned oil expatriates, members of NUPENG and PENGASSAN, to leave all oil fields and terminals in the Niger Delta before the war against Federal Government gets messier, threatening fire and brimstone in few days to come.

Meanwhile, the IYC in a statement made available to journalists yesterday and signed by its spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, said Buhari and the Federal Government should stop playing pranks with Nigerians and the international community about the socalled talks with the Niger Delta militants on how to stop attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta region.

“It is highly ridiculous and laughable for President Buhari to say that his government is negotiating with Niger Delta militants through oil companies and law enforcement agencies during the farewell audience he held with Mr. Michael Zinner, the outgoing Ambassador to Germany on Thursday.

“It is even embarrassing for the president of an independent nation such as Nigeria to say that it is oil companies that are negotiating for peace with Niger Delta agitators which in effect amounts to surrounding the sovereignty of Nigeria to international oil companies.

“The IYC wonders if Nigeria is back to the precolonial and independence Royal Niger Company days where international companies govern Nigeria. The point must be made that the issues at stake are completely beyond the capacity of oil companies to resolve,” the statement added.

The group urged Buhari to adopt a proactive principle on how to solve the current hostilities in the Niger Delta region and equally display a determination to resolve the problem as his predecessors did. “Only a sincere and holistic dialogue with the people of the Niger Delta region which is aimed at addressing the remote causes of recurrent militancy can bring permanent peace to the Niger Delta region. This can only happen when President Buhari as the political leader of Nigeria come down to the negotiation table,” the IYC stated.

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