By Samuel Oyadongha
Barely twelve days to the end of the federal government amnesty to Niger Delta militants, a man in is late thirties who claimed to be a militant human right activist Tuesday surrendered eight rustic arms and one hundred and ninety two mix ammo to the Bayelsa State chapter of the Presidential Amnesty Implementation Committee.

Interestingly, the militant, Comrade Douglas Otoloko, who claimed he had seventy boys operating with him in Diebu Creek in the Southern Ijaw local government area of the state before embracing the amnesty submitted a measly number of arms all of which were looking rustic and unserviceable.

The arms turned in by Otokolo and his confederates include, two pump action, one locally made pistol, five local guns, one tear gas, one FN magazine, one walkie-talkie, one bayonet and 192 mix ammo.

The brief hand over ceremony took place at the Isaac Boro Peace Park under the watchful eyes of Rev Obegha Oworibo, the state Coordinator of the amnesty programme and Major Buba Ahmadu of the Joint Task Force and other security agents.

The 38 year old father of eight, a native of Peremabiri in the Southern Ijaw area of the state said he was into farming before he resorted to armed struggle for environmental justice due to the despoliation being unleashed on the environment by the transnational oil companies operating in the area.

“My struggle is borne out of the need to ensure sustainable development which entails the utilization of resources without undermining the resource base as well as the need to protect our natural resources for future generation. Besides it is my conviction that the right to life includes the right to live in a clean and hazard free environment,” he declared.

He pleaded with the federal government to prevail on the oil companies to be environmental friendly in their operations so as to safe the communities from going into extinction.

Responding the state coordinator of the presidential amnesty, Rev Obegha Oworibo commended the militant leader and his boys for keying into the federal government amnesty.

He also used the opportunity to call on others who are yet to surrender their arms to do so before the October 4 expiration deadline given by the federal government to all arms bearing group in the troubled delta to turn in their weapons.