Warri Study Group (WSG), the intellectual arm of the Itsekiri nation, has alleged that an ex-governor of Delta State is working with militants to wreak havoc in the region.
The Chairman of the group, Edward Ekpoko, said the serving and former governors were using the renewed militancy in the region to blackmail the federal government.
Ekpoko urged the federal government not to dialogue with Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) or any other militant group.
He said: “Politicians, including an ex-governor of Delta State and militants have continued to use this neglect to blackmail the Federal Government as a reason for the renewed crisis. But who is to be held responsible?.”
According to WSG: “Politicians, especially some governors (both serving and former) and their cronies from the Niger Delta are hands in glove with the militants and are openly and secretly advocating dialogue with them so as to (through them) have criminal charges against them dropped.
“The militants are well known to some of them (governors) to the knowledge of Niger Deltans. Government should keep them under watch. Let us get it right: who are the Avengers? Tompolo has denied them, but do we believe him when they want his account de-frozen? MEND has denied them, they are used by those who created them.
“To dialogue with them is tantamount to open discussion with corrupt politicians from the region that have forced the pathetic conditions of life that now pervade the Niger Delta. All they want is to bargain themselves from investigation and trial,” the group said.