FG Probes Jonathan Over Bombings In Niger Delta -
The federal government has launched an investigation on the possible involvement of former President Goodluck Jonathan with the spate of bombings that have crippled the country’s oil industry and affected itspower generation capabilities.
Credible intelligence sources have told Daily Trust that a hushed up investigation is already underway to establish the level of involvement of Mr Jonathan in the series of explosions affecting the country’s oil producing infrastructure that has left the country unable to produce nearly a third of its 2.2 million barrels of crude oil per day.
This situation has left the government unable to implement its budget of 6 trillion Naira that was predicated on its agreed quota level and is further confounded by low crude oil price.
Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun has since declared that Nigeria is technically in recession.
There has been an earlier allegation by the militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) that the former President is complicit in the bombing of oil installations but which he denied.
Daily Trust gathered that suspicion of the former President’s involvement with activities of militants in the oil producing Niger Delta region was further strengthened after it emerged that one of the groups that threatened to declare a Niger Delta republic was dissuaded from doing so by Mr Jonathan.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the sabotage of oil and power installations was part of what he called the former President’s plan B after he lost the last general elections to President Muhammadu Buhari and is meant to discredit the present administration.
The source added that the ultimate aim of Mr Jonathan is to use his possible intercession with those responsible for the disruptions in the oil and power installations to stop investigations and possible trial of himself and his wife over corruption matters.
Speaking to Daily Trust on phone last night, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said he was not aware that the former president was being investigated by security agencies over allegations linking him to the spate of bombings by militants in the Niger Delta region.
He however said that “these allegations have refused to go away, and those making the allegations are not backing out. So I will not be surprised if the security agencies show interest in it, but I am not aware.”
The former president could not be reached for comment on the matter yesterday, neither was his media aide, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze.
However, one of Mr. Jonatan’s former aides who preferred not to be named said the former president had earlier this month denied such allegation when it was made by MEND.
Jonathan’s statement issued by Mr Eze in Abuja on August 7, denied he was a sponsor of NDA [Niger Delta Avengers].
He rather countered that the group’s hidden agenda was to kill him.
It will be recalled that Niger Delta militants had at various times before the elections vowed that they would make Nigeria ungovernable if Mr. Jonathan lost his party’s nomination or if he was defeated by Buhari.
The most publicised threat was made by top militant leaders at a meeting in Bayelsa Government House. At that meeting militants leaders such as Asari Dokubo and Tompolo threatened to declare war on Nigeria if Jonathan should lose the election.
They took the decision at a meeting attended by the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, and chairman of Amnesty Implementation Committee, Kingsley Kuku; Bayelsa state Governor, Seriake Dickson; President General of Ijaw Youth Council, Udengs Eradiri and Victor Ben Ebikabowei, aka, Boy Loaf.
