Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that he risked his life by entering a militant camp in the Niger Delta without armed security while negotiating peace in the region, a move he said helped lay the foundation for the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme.
Jonathan made the disclosure on Monday while delivering the chairman’s address at the De Mangrove Conversation held at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Conference Hall in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Renaissance Africa Energy and the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.
Reflecting on his time in office, Jonathan said his experience as a scientist, governor, vice president and president gave him a unique understanding of the Niger Delta’s challenges.
He recalled that while serving as Vice President, he personally led negotiations with militant groups and insisted on visiting one of their camps despite strong objections from security officials.
According to Jonathan, the militants informed him that they would receive him only if none of his entourage carried weapons, warning that the presence of armed security would lead to a confrontation.
“As the vice president, I flew to Warri, to the waterfront with my security. When we got to the waterfront, the Niger Delta militants sent word across to me that they were ready to receive me, but nobody should carry a gun and follow me and that if any of my team members carried a weapon, there would be an exchange of fire,” he said.
Jonathan said both the Delta State Commissioner of Police and the State Director of the State Security Service advised him against making the trip, but he insisted that lasting peace required building trust.
“I told them I would go. There must be peace and development in the Niger Delta,” he said.
He explained that he ordered every security officer in uniform to remain behind and instructed his Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to surrender their weapons before accompanying him into the camp.
“I told them if we come back alive, you get your guns back and we will return to Abuja,” Jonathan recalled.
According to the former president, they walked through two lines of armed militants before holding discussions that lasted for about 90 minutes.
He said the meeting became a turning point in the government’s engagement with militant groups and eventually led to the introduction of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, which he credited with significantly reducing violence in the oil-producing region.
Jonathan stressed that while the amnesty programme helped restore stability, achieving lasting peace in the Niger Delta requires sustained efforts to tackle environmental degradation, underdevelopment and decades of neglect, adding that the region’s development should remain a national priority.
