By SIMON EBEGBULEM
BENIN — FORMER President of
Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Dr. Chris
Ekiyor, has said that any plan by
the Federal Government to grant
amnesty to members of Boko
Haram sect will be a fraud,
warning that the people of the
Niger Delta will resist any attempt
to use resources from the region
to finance such amnesty
programme.
Ekiyor said it will be a misplaced
argument to compare the
activities of the sect members
with that of the Niger Delta
militants, noting that the focus of
the Niger Delta militants was to
attract government’s attention to
the degradation of their region
due to oil exploration and poverty
of the people, whereas Boko
Haram had embarked on mass
killing of Nigerians and had
remained faceless.
He said: “Beyond talking about
amnesty for a group of people,
who are murderers, I think that
government has misplaced its
priority in terms of what it is
saying. Dialogue with the people,
yes. Amnesty, no.
“Amnesty is not an exit window
for criminals. These are people
who have murdered over 5,000
people in cold blood. When people
are in the churches, they bomb
the church, killing people who are
equally victims of bad governance
like you and I.
“Again, 80 percent of these people
are not Nigerians. So if you are
granting them amnesty, from
where will you take the resources
to reintegrate them?”
Is it the Niger Delta resources,
our oil money to integrate
criminals and murderers in the
North?”
“That money should be put into
infrastructures across the country
if the money is too much in the
government coffers. They should
develop Nigeria. But I have issue
in taking Niger Delta people’s
money to rehabilitate a bunch of
elements, who are extremists in
their activities.”
… as Okoko advocates due process
By JIMITOTA ONOYUME
PORT HARCOURT— FORMER
President, Ijaw National Congress,
INC, Professor Kimse Okoko, has
said that the proposed amnesty by
the Federal Government for
members of the Islamist sect,
Boko Haram, should follow due
process.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers
State, he also appealed to
Movement for the Emancipation of
Niger Delta, MEND, not to resume
hostilities in the Niger Delta
region.
He said: “Due process should be
followed by Federal Government
before granting Boko Haram
amnesty. The sect should agree to
stop violent activities.
“I don’t think it is proper to grant
amnesty before following due
process, otherwise victims of Boko
Haram’s attacks would suffer so
much pain.”
He told Vanguard, that there was
no need for former militants to go
back to the creeks, as such will not
be in the interest of the region
and the nation in general.
Okoko also lamented the killing,
weekend, of 12 policemen at
Azuzuama community, Southern
Ijaw Local Government Area of
Bayelsa State.

They kill our southern Christians, corps members, burn our churches, murder our pregnant wives and burn southern businesses. Yet they want to be compensated with our oil.

B@stards


Islam-a-bad

Warped reasoning. How would he know the origin of the resources that will be used for the amnesty process? (I don't support amnesty, though).

How wont he know the source of the amnesty fund, when over 80% of Nigeria's revenue is from crude oil sales, my friend read between lines, he actually meant, there shouldnt be amnesty for boko haram. Na u no even sabi reason well sef.

deandavid: How wont he know the source of the amnesty fund, when over 80% of Nigeria's revenue is from crude oil sales, my friend read between lines, he actually meant, there shouldnt be amnesty for boko haram. Na u no even sabi reason well sef.

So, the remaining percent, nko?

Of course not our oil money but their groundnut money. Gej pls dnt do dis to us, i dey provoke oooo, make person hold me oooo, i go throw bomb for Aso Rock oooo. See, me too i need amnesty because if want start my own now Naija go hear am bigtime.