Get Guardian on GoogleMembers of a group identifying themselves as the Freedom Fighters of Ekpeye Ethnic Nationality have appealed for forgiveness and amnesty, saying they are desperate to abandon life in the forest and return to normal society.
The appeal was disclosed by Kenneth Nwachi, spokesperson for the Omega Power Ministry (OPM), who said the group reached out to the ministry’s Founder and General Overseer, Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere, in a video appeal yesterday.
Speaking from an undisclosed forest location, the fighters pleaded with the cleric to intervene and help secure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society, describing their present circumstances as a form of bondage.
In a letter titled Request for Pardon and Amnesty, the group described Apostle Chibuzor as a father figure whose humanitarian interventions could offer them a pathway to redemption.
“Our major problem now is how we can come out of this bush and live a normal life in society through amnesty. We have searched around and found out that you are the only man with a fatherly heart that can take us out of this bondage,” they said.
According to Nwachi, the group also expressed remorse over its past activities, acknowledging that its actions had offended both God and humanity.
“We remorsefully and regrettably condemn some of our unwanted and unruly activities and pray for God’s endless mercy on us, as we promise to be of good conduct to society from now on,” the fighters stated in their letter.
Appealing to the cleric’s Christian faith, they cited biblical passages on repentance, forgiveness and redemption, expressing confidence that he would not only pray for them but also guide them towards a new beginning.
They also appealed for peace across Ekpeye land, particularly Ahoada East and Ahoada West local government areas of Rivers State, praying for divine intervention to heal their communities.
The fighters promised not to betray the cleric’s confidence if he accepted their appeal, while acknowledging his previous interventions in the lives of vulnerable youths across the country.
The appeal comes against the background of OPM’s reported 15-year involvement in rehabilitating former militants and individuals involved in armed activities.
Through its free skills acquisition centre, the ministry has reportedly trained beneficiaries in pipeline and argon welding, scaffolding, oil rigging operations, instrumentation and control, and marine engineering. Some have also secured local and international employment opportunities in the oil and gas industry.
The ministry has also facilitated the surrender of firearms and other weapons by repentant militants, which were subsequently handed over to the Rivers State Police Command.
For the Ekpeye fighters, however, the immediate desire is to find a way out of the forest, abandon their troubled past and rebuild their lives.
Their appeal has renewed attention on the role of dialogue, disarmament and rehabilitation in addressing insecurity and youth involvement in armed activities in the Niger Delta.
