Ex-millitant storm Abuja

ABUJA— OVER 1, 000 ex-militants from the Niger Delta, particularly Bayelsa and Delta states who had converged in 62 eighteen-seater buses stormed the Federal Capital Territory in the early hours of yesterday to protest alleged mismanagement of the Federal Government amnesty programme for ex-militants.




More than 1000 ex-militants from the Niger Delta protesting the Federal Government's handling of the post-amnesty programme in Abuja, yesterday.
















The ex-militants who had reached Gwagwalada, some 100 kilometres from Abuja metropolis before they were stopped by the Police, said they were proceeding to the Abuja metropolis to protest the shabby implementation of the programme by the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty, Mr. Timi Alaibe.




But in a swift reaction, Alaibe, speaking through his Special Assistant, Mr. Henry Ugbolue, said most of the persons in this category, were those who were not originally captured as ex-militants that submitted their arms and ammunition because they were skeptical about the Federal Government intentions.


Vanguard, however, gathered that before the interception of the ex-militants, about two bus-loads had sneaked into the FCT metropolis, met with the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadome, who told them to select a few representatives to present their grouse to government for resolution.




Leader of the team that met the Chief of Staff, Beke Epere, South-South Youth leader told Vanguard that Oghiadome impressed it upon them to ensure that they did not go .


Earlier, an ex-militant leader, General Aso Tambo who described himself as chairman of the freedom fighters from Niger Delta said: “We came to see Mr. President to discuss the second phase of implementation of the amnesty programme.


Timi Alaibe has been playing with us. When we met with him, he asked us to come back in three weeks. We went to our camps and merged as Alaibe wanted.


We waited for all his promises and nothing happened. We are not criminals but freedom fighters.


“From 1999 to date, the Federal Government created NDDC with the hope that the problem in the Niger Delta will be curtailed. Niger Delta ministry was created and till today, nothing is happening. Now the amnesty has been taken over by big men. That is why we are here to see the President.”


Deputy Inspector General of Police in Charge of Operations, Israel Ajao and the AIG Zone 7, Ivy Okoronkwo who led detachments of Policemen to Gwagwalada, commended the ex-militants for their orderliness, noting that the police were there to ensure law and order.


Ajao further told the ex-militants that with the Federal Government’s promise to look into their complaints, they should politely return to their states, adding that the Police would provide escorts for them up to the outskirts of the FCT.


However, Alaibe who reacted to the allegations of the ex-militants said: “In view of the protest in Abuja today by persons said to be Niger Delta ex-militants who were excluded from the Presidential Amnesty programme, it has become expedient to clarify as follows.


That in the bid to stem the ugly tide of militancy and general insecurity in the Niger Delta, late President Yar’Adua proclaimed, on 25 June, 2009, an unconditional amnesty for militants in the Niger Delta who agreed to lay down their arms and assemble at screening centre’s within 60 days for documentation.


This offer of amnesty was unequivocally predicated on the willingness and readiness of the militants to give up all illegal arms in their possession, completely renounce militancy in all ramifications, and depose an undertaking to this effect.


“As most Nigerians would recall, thousands of repentant militants operating in the Niger Delta enthusiastically accepted this offer of amnesty and turned in their arms and got documented on or before the October 4th 2009 earmarked deadline.


The Presidential Amnesty Committee then under the former Defence Minister, Maj Gen. Godwin Abbe (rtd), registered and properly documented 20, 192 repentant Niger Delta militants. It was on the basis of this number, that the Federal Government designed and budgeted for the on-going demobilization, rehabilitation and re-integration component of the amnesty programme.




“Indeed it gives me immense pleasure to aver that the first batch of 2, 000 repentant militants has successfully gone through non-violence transformation training in Obubra camp in Cross River State, and by the weekend, a battery of experts would have taken them through other programmes that are designed to prepare them for formal integration into the civil society”.


“Let it, however, be placed on record that the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Mr. Timi Alaibe, is aware that a number of militant groups who did not disarm during the amnesty period came forward and indicated interest to submit their weapons to security agencies and be included in the post amnesty programme.


“Most of them cited reason of skepticism on the sincerity of the Federal Government to follow through the amnesty programme.


However, having seen the documented ex-militants collecting steady monthly allowances and now being admitted into camp for transformational training and rehabilitation, they decided to come forward and submit their weapons.


To this effect, many of them turned in their arms to the JTF between December 31, 2009 and April 21, 2010. This agitation and the likely consequences were promptly brought to the attention of all critical stakeholders in the Presidential Amnesty Programme.


“The agitators are, however, asked to remain calm and await the outcome of the representation to the President on their behalf by the special adviser. And let me emphasize that the protest in Abuja today (yesterday) is absolutely nothing to do with the on-going transformational programme for the Niger Delta ex-militants in Obubra, Cross River State.”