Presidency begins probe of Jonathan, wife, over alleged link to Niger Delta Avengers

The Nigerian presidency has ordered a discreet investigation of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, and his wife, Patience, over the spate of bombings of oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta, according to Premium Times

A top government source, quoting intelligence reports, told this newspaper that it had now been established that some of the oil installations bombed in the Niger Delta had actually been mined while President Jonathan was in power, just before the 2015 election, by some of the militants and operatives known to be very close to him.

“The mining was meant to be a “Plan B should they be removed from Aso Rock,” said the official, who requested not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter.

“The plan then was to cause confusion if the 2015 presidential election did not go as expected, in favour of the then incumbent.”

“However, when the former president surprisingly conceded the election to President Mohammadu Buhari, according to the source, there was both disappointment and confusion in the camp of those who had designed the plan, causing a suspension of the whole agenda.

“But by February this year, it was learnt, the plan was reopened as several of the backers were getting investigated on different corruption cases.

“Mr. Jonathan himself himself was concerned that himself and his wife could be prosecuted, including on money-laundering charges where investigators said evidence against the wife has already been amassed.

“It was at that point that the bombing activities under the banner of the Niger Delta Avengers started.

“Even the former President himself had been reported while on a foreign trip as saying he knew he was under probe. This was after the plan to start the bombing had become fully operational according to intelligence reports.”

Last June, during a live interview on Bloomberg Television, Mr. Jonathan said he was aware that anti-graft agencies were investigating him.

“I am being investigated, yes, investigations are going on,” Mr. Jonathan had said after delivering a speech on his five-year presidency in London.

Mr. Jonathan’s comments came at the same time the Niger Delta governors were reportedly prevailing on President Buhari to drop corruption charges against some highly placed persons from the region.

“After the Plan B was restored, the ‘militant operatives’ who mined the oil and gas installations only had to arrange for how they would be detonated at a distance at the wish and timing of the NDA, their backers and sponsors said to include the former president, his wife, Government Tompolo, Mr. Kinglsey Kuku and Olisa Metuh among others.

-Premium Times