MEND corroborates Buhari’s peace talks with militants

THE Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger
Delta, MEND, today (Sunday), confirmed President
Muhammadu Buhari’s claim that the Federal
Government was actually dialoguing with Niger
Delta militants through the oil companies and law
enforcement agents.
Spokesperson of the group, Jomo Gbomo, in a
press statement, said: “The Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) wishes to
confirm that indeed it has been in preliminary talks
with the Federal Government through oil companies
and law-enforcement agencies as revealed by
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, July
21, 2016.”
“These preliminary talks are the precursor to a
wider dialogue between the Federal Government
and the MEND Aaron 2 peace initiative, which will
seek to find solutions to the short, medium and
long-term future of the Niger Delta region.
“The Federal Government made it clear during our
meetings that a negotiation with criminals is out of
the question,” MEND said.
It added: “The Niger Delta Avengers, internet-based
'militant' groups such as Joint Revolutionary
Council, Ultimate Warriors etc., an Ijaw
opportunistic tribal assembly, which were
compromised to keep silent during the six (6) years
of Goodluck Jonathan's misrule and neglect,
pirates, pipeline vandals, oil thieves, commercial
kidnappers, waterway robbers, political thugs and
miscreants all fall under this category.”
Niger Delta Avengers, which is the main militant
group in the region currently, had, last Friday,
denied Buhari’s assertion that government was
discussing with militants.
Its spokesperson, self-styled Brig Gen Mudoch
Agbinibo, said: “Our attention has been drawn to
media report that the President is in touch with
Niger Delta agitators, including the Niger Delta
Avengers, but the truth is that we are not aware of
any peace talk.”
“If there is any such peace talk, it means the
President is talking to their mercenaries set to
disturb the genuine struggle of the agitators.
President Buhari led government is not sincere to
the Nigeria people and their foreign allies,” it pointed out.
NDA asserted: “If we are to engage in any peace talk, we made it clear that the international
community must be part of it. The President knows
our demands. Therefore, they should stop deceiving
the international oil companies, the general public
and the international community.”