Brave Dickson
Some ex-Niger Delta agitators have threatened to disrupt the forthcoming 2019 general elections if the federal government refuse to document them in its presidential amnesty scheme.
The ex-agitators under the aegis of Undocumented 3rd Phase Ex-militants in Niger Delta through their leader, Comrade Prince Eyeyon said, “we have surrendered our guns to the Nigerian Army in 2011 like others and had obtained all the necessary clearance from DSS and other security agencies only for federal government to abandon us by refusing to document us into its empowerment and rehabilitation schemes like it has been doing to some of our colleagues who went through the same process with us”.
“We are tired of approaching government with peaceful means. We have written the Nigerian president and other relevant authorities, yet no sign from government to document us soon.
“We think we have exhausted our patience and we are now ready to stage violent protest on election days as a means of registering our grievances”, Comrade Eyeyon said.
The ex agitators said since they surrendered their arms to embrace amnesty, none of them had received neither monthly stipends nor skill acquisitions like their colleagues, describing the situation as unfair on the part of government.
They said they surrendered their weapons to the Nigerian Army at the Delta State military barracks in 2011 following promise from the federal government that they will be trained in various skills and be entitled to monthly stipends
Regrettably, they said none of them have benefitted anything from government, adding that, “this attitude of government towards our plight is tempting us to return to the creeks but we have vowed never to carry arms again.”
The Niger Delta ex-militants said all frantic efforts to get them documented by federal government have proved abortive as they are yet to see possibility in sight.
The group in a letter dated August 18, 2018, which they copied President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly and other relevant agencies of government, expressed disappointment over what they described as flimsy excuses by some officials of government as reasons for not documenting them.
The letter reads in parts, “we are tired and had vowed never to return to the creek. Recently, we were defrauded to the tune of 1.5 million naira by some fake amnesty contract staff who promised to get us documented in Abuja.
“We are humbly appealing to all relevant authorities of government to hear our cry and document us, sponsor us on skill acquisitions as well as placing us on payroll like others”.
