IYC condemns report linking Jonathan to Niger Delta Avengers 2 hours ago – IYC says those linking ex-president Jonathan to Niger Delta Avengers are some politicians from the region, and are in the present government – The IYC says the accusations against former president Jonathan started after he visited President Buhari a few weeks ago – The group says the top hierarchy of government knows about the accusations against Jonathan The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide has condemned what it regards as a desperate act by some politicians to rope former President Jonathan into the formation of the Niger Delta Avengers. In a statement made available to NAIJ.com by Eric Omare, IYC spokesman, the group alleged the accusations against former President Jonathan started after he visited President Buhari a few weeks ago Police to Niger Delta Avengers The IYC claimed that the report linking Jonathan to Avengers is a deliberate action by politicians in the Niger Delta region, adding that the top hierarchy of government knows this fact. Former President Jonathan has denied involvement with the Niger Delta Avengers The statement read: “The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide in the strongest terms condemns the desperation by some politicians to rope former President Jonathan into the formation of the Niger Delta Avengers. This desperation came to the pinnacle with the lead story published by some national newspapers especially the Nation newspaper to the effect that intelligence report indicate that Jonathan is one of the persons behind the formation of the Niger Delta Avengers. “The characters behind this desperate plan are the politicians of Niger Delta extraction who are in the present government and do not want a peaceful resolution of the renewed militancy in the region. They prefer a military option that would result in the killing of innocent Niger Deltans. The genesis of these frivolous accusations against former President Jonathan started after he visited President Buhari a few weeks ago and after the meeting while speaking with the media he said that everybody desire peace and that the leaders of the Ijaw nation are working hard to achieve peace in the Niger Delta region including himself. “This did not go down well with these party chieftains and political officer holders in the federal government from the Niger Delta region because they do not want a peaceful resolution of the crisis and secondly, they don’t also want Jonathan’s intervention to resolve the crisis for obvious political reasons. So this is the reason why they have orchestrated all sorts of lies to drag former President Jonathan into the formation of NDA. It is deliberate and we are sure the top hierarchy of government knows this fact. “We also strongly condemn the irresponsible journalism by some media houses for relying on concocted facts to write stories instead of hard facts. Former President Jonathan is advised to explore legal options to bring such irresponsible journalism to a stop.” The Niger Delta Avengers on Thursday, August 18, threatened that it will declare a Niger Delta Republic on October 1, should President Muhammadu Buhari fail to restructure the country. In a statement released on the website of the Avengers, Mudoch Agbinibo, spokesman of the Avengers, said that the Niger Delta no longer wants to be part of Nigeria. Niger Delta Avengers had claimed responsibility for major attacks on oil facilities in the region in recent past, vowing not to relent until the nation’s economy was completely crippled.