Militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, on Sunday, dismissed reports that the group nominated Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka to head its dialogue team with the Federal Government.
Reports recently had it that the group which had claimed responsibility for several attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta region, picked Soyinka to head its negotiation team with the Federal Government.
But Avengers in a statement by its spokesperson, self-styled Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, said Soyinka had been taken for a “jugular by enemies of the region” because of his belief that Nigeria should be restructured.
The group also described the report linking it to the Nobel laureate as “a lie of the century.”
The statement read: “We are not unaware of the creations of the Nigerian intelligentsia community and security apparatus to sustain the Niger Delta struggle to bloat their pocket and credibility.
“We are amazed that Prof. Wole Soyinka, has been taken on the jugular by enemies of the Niger Delta because of his belief that the government of the day should understand the need to restructuring and listen to the Niger Delta agitation positively.
“That if, we the NDA have named Prof Wole Soyinka and some incredible names to advise and lead any group is the Lie of The Century! Amazingly, the handwriting are so clear that our noble laureate’s name is going the infamous way, as he is being named along as an adviser with some unscrupulous characters as Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) dialogue team with the government of Nigeria.
“Putting the records straight, the name/names parading as factions of the Niger Delta Avengers are just the figment of some persons protecting their jobs and hell bent on derailing the wheel of progress in the history of Nigeria and the Niger Delta agitation.
“Our strike teams and command structures have not at anytime contacted these Nigerians at any time to advise or lead any contact with the government of Muhammadu Buhari on the Niger Delta agitation.
“We have shown our respect and restraints to personalities that have been too fixated to impress Abuja in the name of the Niger Delta struggle since the beginning of ‘Operation Red Economy’, ignorantly or willingly.”