Goodluck Jonathan speaks out on his involvement with the Avengers

Abuja - Former President Goodluck Jonathan has spoken out on a recent report linking him to militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), Naij reports.

According to a statement released by Jonathan's spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze on Thursday, the ex-President again denied that he is a sponsor of the militants.

Jonathan's utterances follow on from a new intelligence report indicating  that oil and gas pipelines had already been infiltrated with explosives prior to Jonathan's hand-over to President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29, 2015.

Having been submitted to the Presidency for further study, the report indicated that NDA was formed as a Plan B before the 2015 elections even took place.

The NDA was set to form an independent Niger Delta Republic following Jonathan's defeat at the polls but were allegedly discouraged in the days that followed the election by Jonathan himself.

According to Jonathan, his rising profile in Nigeria and abroad has allegedly intimidated people. He also claims that the report is an attempt at assassination of his character.

"It is sad that the two publications wore the cloak of deceit from the same misguided characters that are hell-bent on pulling down the former president, despite his clear record of diligent service to his country and long standing commitment to the good of society," the statement read in part.