FG insists there’s no cash exchange for militants’ arms

There will be no exchange of money for arms returned by militants as part of the Federal Government’s amnesty to Niger Delta militants, the chairman of the Inter Agency Coordinating Centre of the Presidential Committee on Amnesty, Victor Ararile has said.

Mr. Ararile, however, told a meeting of Niger Delta stakeholders in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Tuesday evening, that the Federal Government would rehabilitate and reintegrate repentant militants in the society.

He said the purpose of the government’s offer of amnesty was to create an environment of freedom and facilitate development.

The forum was a continuation of the consultations started by President Umar Yar’Adua over the amnesty granted militants.

Mr. Ararile, an air vice marshall, also said the much talked about ₦50 billion, reported as the budget allocated to the committee for the amnesty project, is still a proposal sent by the committee to the Presidency.

He said the project would be divided into three parts, including disarming of the militants, demobilising them and rehabilitating and reintegrating them into the society.

He appealed to ‘genuine militants’ to seize the opportunity presented by the offer so that peace could be achieved and an environment for development of the region be created.

Amnesty and development projects

“The recent methods adopted by the militants have resulted in double jeopardy for the area, as the approach has led to further degrading of the Niger Delta environment, criminal acts and security compromise that have even made it impossible for any sustained effort to develop the region,” the official said.

“Because of the security challenges posed by the new methods of militancy, the Delta State Oil Producing Area Commission (DESOPADEC) expends as much as 50 percent of project cost on security.”

Since the amnesty declaration, many stakeholders have commented on the action. While the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, called a for clear separation between genuine militants and criminals, engaged in kidnapping and robbery under the cloak of the Niger Delta struggle, Timi Agary praised Mr. Yar’Adua for not employing any derogatory words to describe the militants when he made the declaration.

Stakeholders were unanimous in their submission that the Federal Government should address the root causes of militancy, while the amnesty process is going on, if it really desired lasting solution to the Niger Delta imbroglio

Doris McDaniels of the Ijaw Mothers Association wanted massive land reclamation project in the Delta, as well as efforts to address the unemployment situation in the area.

She also advocated some form of benefits to repentant militants until they were able to fend for themselves.

Ledum Mitee, former chairperson of the Niger Delta Technical Committee, said militancy feeds on a perception of injustice and lack of development.

He therefore advised that the Federal Government should initiate development projects to go side by side with efforts to retrieve arms from militants in the creeks.