MEND, during the visit, commiserated with Jonathan over the incident, assuring the former president that the group was committed to peace in the region.
Emissaries of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta on Friday visited former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, over the attack on his house in the Otuoke area of the state on December 24, 2019 by some gunmen.
MEND, during the visit, commiserated with Jonathan over the incident, assuring the former president that the group was committed to peace in the region.
Recall that one soldier was killed and another injured when gunmen in a boat attacked the Otuoke home of the former Nigerian leader on Christmas Eve.
Condemning the incident in a statement by the group’s spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, MEND said, “We sympathise with the former President and his family and reject violence and terror in the Niger Delta region.
“MEND reiterates its irrevocable commitment to peace and call on the Federal Government to initiate dialogue towards the release of the Okah brothers, Henry and Charles, as well as other individuals currently in prison and detention centres nationwide.
“Furthermore, MEND use this opportunity to pledge to work together with former President Jonathan towards bringing sustainable peace and development to the Niger Delta.”
While thanking the group for the visit, Jonathan advised against violence as a means of negotiation, calling for dialogue as a way forward.