Jonathan Reveals How He Entered Militant Camp Without Guns To Secure Niger Delta Peace

(Former President Goodluck Jonathan. Photo Credit: Premuim Times)

Despite security officials’ reservations, former President Goodluck Jonathan has described his visit to a feared insurgent camp in the Niger Delta’s waterways without armed guard.

Jonathan gave a speech on Monday at a two-day event titled “Through The Python’s Eye: 70 Years of Oil Production in Nigeria,” which was hosted in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, by an environmental advocacy group in association with the government of Bayelsa State, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Renaissance Africa Energy Company, and the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.

Jonathan had, as Vice President in 2007, visited the dreaded Camp 5 militant enclave in Delta State. Specifically, on June 28, 2007, he travelled into the creeks without armed security detail to meet with ex-militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, along with other agitators, a move that eventually laid the groundwork for the Niger Delta peace negotiations and the amnesty programme.

Jonathan recalled that his trip to Warri, Delta State, to negotiate with militants at the time helped pave the way for amnesty and subsequent peace in the region, explaining that the decision helped build trust and opened the door to dialogue that ultimately contributed to the peace process and the implementation of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme.

He said the development of the Niger Delta must remain a national priority, adding that lasting peace in the region depends on addressing environmental degradation and decades of neglect.

Narrating the events of that visit, Jonathan explained that as Vice President, he had been tasked with negotiating peace in the Niger Delta, which required visiting all the militant camps, including the one led by a well-known figure at the time.

He recalled flying to Warri, where, upon reaching the waterfront, the militants sent word that they were willing to receive him on the condition that no one in his convoy carried a weapon, warning that any armed member of his team would result in an exchange of gunfire.

He said the Delta State Commissioner of Police and the State Director of the State Security Service both objected to the trip, insisting he should not proceed, but he informed them he would go regardless, stressing the need for peace and development in the Niger Delta.

He said he directed that only his Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Aide-de-Camp (ADC) accompany him, and ordered both officers to hand over their weapons to the police commissioner and the SSS director respectively for safekeeping, telling them their guns would be returned if they came back alive.

He recounted that upon arrival at the camp, they were met by two lines of young men positioned at the jetty, armed with assorted rifles, through which he and his aides walked to reach the venue of the meeting.

He noted that the negotiation lasted about an hour and a half, after which they returned to Abuja, and developments soon followed.

He said that meeting ultimately led to the amnesty programme granted to Niger Delta militants, which remains in place today, describing it as the beginning of peace in the region.