By Emma Amaize
Ex-militants undergoing training at Obubra in Cross River State who heard about the Abuja protest by some of their former colleagues yesterday distanced themselves from those that stormed Abuja, saying they don’t know them.

Ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, met with prominent South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark at the latter’s Abuja residence and drew his attention to the “invasion”.

Vanguard gathered that the protesters were driven to Abuja yesterday in buses and were intercepted at Gwagwalada, where security agents had a running battle with them, but, a good number of them still found their way into Abuja town. However, they were later dislodged by security agents.

“As I speak to you now (about 2.00 pm) yesterday, an ex-militant leader who is in Abuja for a different matter said: ‘I learnt they are still blocking the road. Most of the buses they came with bore Bayelsa State inscription numbers’.

A source close to Tompolo, Mr. Paul Bebenimibo, who also spoke to Vanguard said: “Tompolo is not aware of ex-militants blockage of Abuja road. Ex-militants are supposed to be in Obubra in Cross River State where their training is going on. My information is that some people came from Bayelsa State to stage a protest for reasons I don’t know now.

“If they are ex-militants, then from which camp did they come from and who is their leader,” he queried.

But the ex-MEND generals, who met in Warri, Delta State, among them General Bonnygawei, General Ezekiel Akpasibewei, General John Togo, General Enabina Young, General Opunama, Andabofa, Akoke Awe, Wilson Gberie, Figbele Joseph, Commander Frank Akiefa, aka Ebi Kokos, Commander Ebi Lagos, General Henry Benedodogha, aka Egbema 1, General Robert Okubo, General Cemence Nisa and Commander Emetiemo said the militants that stormed Abuja were recruited by politicians to thwart the efforts of the Coordinator of the Post Amnesty Programme, Chief Timi Alaibe.

General Bonnygawei who spoke on behalf of his colleagues said the ex-militant generals from Delta, Edo and Bayelsa states were in support of the efforts of Mr. Timi Alaibe, pointing out that it was a political protest.

He said information at their disposal indicated that some people who claimed to be militants, and who did not submit their arms and accept amnesty within the October 4, 2009 deadline of the Federal Government were being sponsored by some politicians to disrupt the post_amnesty programme.

The ex_militant leader said militants were given time to accept amnesty and those who did not accept amnesty should not be hired to disrupt the good programme of the government, adding, “We condemn the protest and say that those who went to Abuja have a different intention. People are trying to use them to undermine Alaibe”.

“If their aim is to remove Alaibe, I want to say that there will be trouble in the Niger_Delta, we will destroy everything. We believe in what Alaibe is doing. He is unlike the former people who were coordinating the programme”.

It was gathered that ex_militant leader, Tompolo got hint of the plan by some ex_militants to carry out a protest in Abuja , Tuesday. Mr. Bebenimibo said phone calls were made to Ateke Tom, Farah Dagogo, Victor Ben, alias Boyloaf, Shoot_At_Sight and a host of others and they all said they were not party to it.

He said he was not sure the boys that carried out the Abuja protest were ex_militants because none of the known leader in the struggle knows them, adding, “They were obviously mobilized by some people to come to Abuja and they are not militants”.

One of the ex_militants undergoing training at Obubra, however, told Vanguard, “Those people that went to Abuja were hired from the streets and motor parks by some politicians to disrupt the training here. We don’t know them, all of here in Obubra, we know ourselves one way or the other and even if you don’t somebody face_to_face, he served in a camp and had a leader, where did they serve in the creek, which camp and who is the leader of those that went to Abuja ”.