We Are In Preliminary Talks With Federal Government, Militants Confirm

The confirmation contradicts claims by the Niger-Delta Avengers that the Federal Government was not holding talks with them.

Recall that the government had on Thursday, July 21, 2016, said that it was negotiating with the militants through oil companies in the region.

READ ALSO: ‘Everybody Is Tired Of This Thing Called Nigeria’, ‘Heed Our Call For Self-Determination” – Avengers Tell Buhari

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, the militant group said, “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.

“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.”