Ex-militant leaders to Avengers: accept dialogue with Fed Govt

 

                                     Avengers

Former militant leaders yesterday appealed to members of Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to stop further attacks on oil and gas installations in the region and accept the proposed dialogue with the Federal Government.

The umbrella body of the former creek warriors, Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), told the Avengers that their nefarious activities would have lasting negative impact on the region.

The LPCDI, which comprises former commanders of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), in a statement by its President, Mr. Reuben Wilson (aka ‘General’ Pastor), warned that the actions of NDA would force the military to occupy the region the way it did in Borno State.

The statement said: “We hereby condemn the actions of the Niger Delta Avengers group and appeal to them to give peace a chance. We are standing on the side of peace and will always do because of the greater interest of the Niger Delta region.

“If you take an honest look at the actions of the NDA, you will see that the bombing of pipelines and other vices will have a lasting negative effect on our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters and even children in the communities; these are people who will not have a source of livelihood, if the whole area is polluted, not to talk of the health effect.

“We also don’t want soldiers to invade our communities, like they did in Bornu State, and render thousands homeless. Rather, we advise them to channel their grievances through the right method, instead of destroying their own land and heritage to make their point.”

The statement said the national leadership and the nine-state coordinators of LPCDI asked members of NDA and other groups involved in the recent destruction of oil facilities to embrace the Presidency’s proposed dialogue.