By Chioma Onuegbu, Uyo

Ex-militants from Akwa Ibom State, under the aegis of Ukanafun Freedom Fighters, Tuesday stormed the Ukanafun Local Government Council headquarters to protest neglect and marginalization by the Federal Government since their inclusion in the Presidential Amnesty Programme in 2009.

The aggrieved protesters, numbering about 200, lamented that the Federal Government had failed to fulfill its promise of empowering them to become self-reliant after they surrendered their arms and embraced the ceasefire deal.

Some of the protesters expressed frustration over the perceived unfair treatment by the amnesty office, accusing it of neglecting Akwa Ibom ex-militants despite their belonging to the Niger Delta region.

Addressing the peaceful protest at the Council headquarters in Ikot Akpa Nkuk on Tuesday, the group’s leader, Udom Ebetor, called on the Federal Government to honor its commitments regarding the amnesty program.

Ebetor, who explained that he had led other militants under the Supreme Council of Niger State (SUCOND) to surrender their arms in 2009, noted that many had initially hesitated to embrace the program due to doubts about the government’s sincerity.

“In July 2009, I mentioned that no fewer than 500 members of this group remained in the creeks because they were unsure about the sincerity of the Presidential Amnesty Programme,” Ebetor recalled.

He stressed that the group resorted to the protest as a last resort, stating, “We have been pushed to the wall, and this protest serves as a call to the Federal Government to do the needful.”

Ebetor also criticized Akwa Ibom leaders at various levels of government for their silence on the plight of ex-militants, stating, “Some of our leaders at the local and state levels are busy talking, while others are benefiting from the amnesty, yet their people are suffering.”

Addressing the protesters on behalf of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Paul Mel Udoh, the Community Orientation and Mobilization Officer for Ukanafun, promised to relay their grievances to the appropriate authorities in Abuja. He assured the protesters that the Federal Government would address their concerns.

The protesters carried placards with messages such as:

“FG: Why have you abandoned us for 15 years?”

“Akwa Ibom is part of Niger Delta and Nigeria: Give us our rights!”

“Amnesty Office has not been fair to us in Akwa Ibom.”

“We are not criminals; we are freedom fighters. FG, please settle us as promised.”