Ex militant leaders threaten to disrupt inauguration over alleged insecurity of members

…agree to stop monthly deduction of their boys allowance

By Samuel Oyadongha

Yenagoa – Ex militant leaders in the Niger Delta Thursday  threatened to storm Abuja in protest over what they described as the inability of the Federal Government to guarantee their safety alleging that four of their members had been brutally killed in the last one year after embracing the amnesty programme.

The former creek warlords under the aegis of Peace Keeping Ex Militants Forum who converged Thursday in Yenagoa to review the progress of the Federal Government’s  Amnesty programme described the development as disturbing as some of them could no longer move freely for fear of the being attacked.

The ex militant leaders who also agreed to stop deduction from the monthly allowance of their boys however called on the Amnesty Committee to look into their welfare as they (leaders) cannot be collecting the same amount with their boys.

Gen Pastor Rueben who led twelve other ex militant leaders drawn from Bayelsa, Delta and Edo State while commending late President Musa Yar’Adua for initiating the Amnesty programme which brought about the relative calm in the once troubled region lamented that some of the promises made to them had not been fulfilled.

Pastor Reuben who once controlled a camp on the Akassa fringe of the Atlantic Ocean lamented that in the last one year four of their senior colleagues had been killed by unknown persons after voluntarily accepting the federal government amnesty.

Rehearsal , callisthenic flag bearers during the rehearsal ahead of Presidential Inauguration at Eagle Square Abuja Wednesday . Photo : Gbemiga Olamikan

On the contentious deduction of the monthly allowance of the boys, he said though the money was used in taking care of some of the needs of their boys, the leaders of the Peace Keeping Ex Militants Forum made of thirteen former camps had unanimously agreed to stop the deduction forthwith.

His words, “It is long since we accept the amnesty and since then nothing had been for any of the leaders which necessitated the deduction from our boys allowance but today we have agreed that the deduction should stop. Unknown to many, it is from the same deducted amount that we use in meeting some of their needs.”

The ex militant leaders who pleaded with the federal government through the amnesty committee to see to their welfare since they are receiving the same amount with their boys threatened to stage a peaceful protest to Abuja to register their grievances such as fear of being attack and killed as well as the improvement of their welfare package.

They used the opportunity to endorsed the retention of the Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke by President Goodluck Jonathan saying the minister had performed creditably in ensuring that petroleum products gets to all the nooks and crannies of the country including the creeks of the delta.

Also the National Deputy President of the Ijaw Youth Council worldwide, Comrade Preye Agama who spoke at the forum lauded the ex militant leaders over their peaceful conduct and urged the federal government through the amnesty committee office to look into their demands.

“President Goodluck Jonathan” he said “was part of the negotiation team at the conception of the amnesty deal for Niger Delta militants to surrender their arms and is in a better position to meet their demands and that of the entire Niger Delta.”