ANN-KIO Briggs, convener of Niger-Delta Self-Determination Movement, NDSDM, has stated why the people of Niger Delta prefers referendum to restructuring of the country.

Briggs said the Niger Delta was opting for referendum because the government has failed to protect it citizens in the hands of foreigners who have invaded the country and are terrorising the land.

Briggs who noted that restructuring would have been an option if the North had accepted it, opposed the amnesty granted to Boko Haram terrorist.

Noting that the government had repeatedly described Boko Haram insurgents and killer herdsmen as foreigners, she wondered why the government would turn around to grant such people amnesty.


She said pardoning the terrorists would amount to the government admitting that Nigeria has failed and it is incapable of saving Nigerians from terrorists and foreign invaders.

Warning that such amnesty should not be funded with oil resources of the Niger Delta, Briggs said, “This government wants Nigerians to believe that Boko Haram will embrace amnesty. I hope they don’t want to use Niger Delta oil money for the amnesty programme. Government has told us repeatedly that Boko Haram are foreigners. By wanting to grant amnesty to Boko Haram, the government has admitted that Nigeria has failed and it has no capacity to protect Nigerians. We have killer herdsmen all over the place.

“Foreigners have invaded Nigeria and the best the government can do is to grant them amnesty. That is why we in the Niger Delta want referendum.

“Restructuring would have been good but since the core North does not want restructuring, we want referendum,” Vanguard quoted her to have said.

WHY BOKO HARAM DESERVES AMNESTY

Meanwhile, the Presidency, on Sunday, stated why Boko Haram terrorists deserved the amnesty it granted the deadly group.

It said granting amnesty to Boko Haram insurgents would make them drop their arms, embrace peace, stop bloodshed and save resources for the country.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, disclosed this in an interview in Abuja.

“Whoever is peddling these rumours that Boko Haram is being granted amnesty and so on, I would ask them who doesn’t want to make peace with the enemy? In any case, as it is proverbially said, all wars end up in the boardroom.

“You can defeat people technically in the field but at the end, you must come to the conference room to resolve all issues. So, if Boko Baram would lay down their arms and stop fighting and stop preaching that negative ideology, the country should be able to embrace them, welcome all of them so that they continue to live normal lives and be useful to the nation.

“What that means is that we will be saving cost, saving lives that are being lost through bombing, killing of service personnel and we will be saving money that we are using to procure weapons so that such money can go into services and infrastructure and welfare of the citizens of this country. It is a win-win situation,” he said.