22,430 militants, cultists embrace amnesty, surrender arms in Rivers

Group accuses Boroh of neglecting Itsekiri beneficiaries

About 22,430 militants and cultists have embraced the amnesty offer of the Rivers State government and surrendered arms and ammunition.

To curb cultism, Governor Nyesom Wike recently banned community vigilance groups and declared those who refused to embrace the amnesty as enemies of the state.

The amnesty committee chaired by Mr. Ken Chinda yesterday formally submitted its report to Governor Wike, thus marking the end of the offer to militants and cultists in the state to surrender.

Chinda, while presenting the report disclosed that about 22,430 militants and cultists took advantage of the amnesty offered by the state government.

He added that 911 arms, 7,661 ammunition and 147 explosives were surrendered by the militants and cult groups.

He explained that the amnesty commitee discovered that heavily armed violent groups exist in all the 23 local councils of the state and that some communities stockpile weapons which they use during communal wars.

Wike said initially some believed the programme was for political gains and designed to make the militants and cultists support the government to win elections.

He charged those who have embraced the amnesty to remain faithful to their commitment and not go back to crime. “If you are involved in any criminal activity, amnesty will not cover you,” he warned.

Meanwhile, a group in the Niger Delta, Itsekiri National Development Initiative (INDI) has accused the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier- General Paul Tarela Boroh (Rtd) of neglecting about 420 Itsekiri beneficiaries of the amnesty.

The group said these beneficiaries were owed four months monthly stipend.

In a petition addressed to Boroh, INDI explained that 120 of the beneficiaries were billed to embark on post-graduate studies abroad, 200 are for skills acquisition programme and 100 for aviation training in the country.