[size=14pt]Politicians Behind Recent Violence[/size]
Ernest Chinwo
21 November 2010

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Calabar — Ex-militants undergoing non-violence transformational training at the Obubra Post Amnesty Camp in Cross River State have disassociated themselves from recent spate of attacks in the Niger Delta by MEND and few other groups.

Speaking to journalists at the camp in Obubra as Batch 9 of the ex-militants resumed training, the ex-militants said top politicians in the Niger Delta region are responsible for the spate of violence to achieve their selfish goals.

According to the ex-militants, "What is going on is criminality and top politicians and political office holders are behind it because they have been talking to some of us.

"Before we arrived here early last week to start this training, the government of Bayelsa State through some agents approached some boys selling the idea of recruiting us to fight for them in the coming 2011 election. But since we embraced amnesty we cannot go back to be hunted like animals by soldiers"

George Silva, an ex-militant from Ogunboss Camp, Bayelsa State said he has leant to make peace in his community and to have respect for constituted authority.

According to him, "It is not everybody that is saying, I am a militant that is a militant. Militancy is not criminality. Some people are criminals and tagging themselves militants. I cannot see any reason why you say you are fighting for a cause and at the same time, they say you should drop arms and get what you want and you say no; and you keep on doing those things you are not supposed to do. What are you fighting for? What is the freedom about? Those are criminals".

"Anybody that would allow himself be used by a politician for anything to cause trouble here or outside, I see that person as a foolish person. You have been rehabilitated. You have what it takes. If a politician can wear a Marks and Spencers shirt, you too with the help of this thing can wear it so what is the use of a politician asking you to use your shirt to fight. Why not him using his own. So I don't see any means that someone will use to convince you to go and fight for him when you also have money. We are also big men by the grace of God".

He said some politicians are bent on seeing that the Post-Amnesty programme does not succeed so that they would have people they would use to advance their selfish interests.

Another ex-militant, Tony Patrick from Boyloaf group in Delta State, who said he was a storekeeper of arms, also said "I love the programme. I have learnt a lot. I will tell any politician who comes to me now to go away. I am free. My advice is that according to what information given to us is that if you go back to your bad acts, you will be killed. That is the law. So advise other boys to stay calm and achieve what they came for.

"No boy that has passed through here will go out and do anything bad. I cannot go back to my old life. I can never be violent anymore. Let the politicians go and use their children. We are not doing anything for them again. Everything is going smoothly inside the camp here".

24-years old Innocent Ayakwo Okoro from River State said he was combatant soldier in the Camp but that since the amnesty programme, "I have had free movement in town. I can express my freedom of expression and my rights and I commend the programme so much.

"As I leave here, I am going to teach other people what I have e learnt from here which is non-violence. With what I have learnt here, there would be no violence. Through this process that the Federal Government has started with the youth of the Niger Delta, I think there would be no violence anymore in Nigeria, not even Niger Delta. Because when at least 1000 people pass through this training, at least one person can reach out to 1000 and the chain effect goes on like that then the rate of crime would be less in this country not only in the Niger Delta".

http://allafrica.com/stories/201011220004.html

EXACTLY . . . . . . . . . .

But who are the Politicans? Dont they have names? Or are they spirits?


[s]Would i be wrong if i say that JEGA could be among the people actaully responsible for the recent violence after all HE TOO IS ALSO A POLITICAN?[/s]

EX-millitant why again now! cant we have lasting peace

From IBB to Timipriye Sylva.These guys should stop the lies.

Posted by: chosen04

But who are the Politicans? Dont they have names? Or are they spirits?

Abi o jare!!! dem be "unknown polician"  

According to Fela (R.I.P);
"We get unknown police,
we get unknown navy,
we get unknown soldier,
we get unknown civilian, so
all is equal to UNKNOWN GOVT"!!!

Yeye dey boom.

Speaking to journalists at the camp in Obubra as Batch 9 of the ex-militants resumed training, the ex-militants said top politicians in the Niger Delta region are responsible for the spate of violence to achieve their selfish goals.

I hope the ex-militants are reporting those politicians to the security agencies. It seems inconceivable that they didn't give names to the press, what is likely is that the pressmen are too scared to publish names. In the past, Tribune has published IBB and Buhari, so they've set themselves apart in that regard.

Beaf:

I hope the ex-militants are reporting those politicians to the security agencies. It seems inconceivable that they didn't give names to the press, what is likely is that the pressmen are too scared to publish names. In the past, Tribune has published IBB and Buhari, so they've set themselves apart in that regard.

Damn! This beaf is unbelievably funny.You are citing the words of ex-militants who clearly stated that Niger Delta politicians are divided and you still chipped in IBB and Buhari.

T9ksy:

Posted by: chosen04
Abi o jare!!! dem be "unknown polician"

According to Fela (R.I.P);
"We get unknown police,
we get unknown navy,
we get unknown soldier,
we get unknown civilian, so
all is equal to UNKNOWN GOVT"!!!

Yeye dey boom.

GBAM . . . . . . . . .do you mind that stupid fools?

Abagworo:

Damn! This beaf is unbelievably funny.You are citing the words of ex-militants who clearly stated that Niger Delta politicians are divided and you still chipped in IBB and Buhari.

Ha! The funny person is the one who tells lies shamelessly (you know who and what I'm talking about). The funny person is also the ignorant one.

[size=14pt]2011: Militants hold secret meetings with IBB, Buhari [/size]
•Ex-military president given conditions
Written by Idowu Samuel and Emmanuel Adeniyi
Monday, 06 September 2010

THERE are indications that President Goodluck Jonathan is yet to strike a deal with leaders of key militant groups in the Niger Delta to strengthen his chances of winning the South-South zone if he decides to run in the 2011 presidential election.

Indications to this effect emerged in the light of efforts by leaders of the militants, who had given up on the government amnesty initiative  to engage presidential aspirants from the North in exploratory talks on how to fit into their presidential programmes.

Two leaders of militant groups which surrendered arms in the wake of the Federal Government’s amnesty had arrived in Abuja last week to hold talks with northern presidential aspirants, including General Ibrahim Babangida and General Muhammadu Buhari.

Nigerian Tribune learnt through aides of the aspirants that the militants complained that they were not being consulted by President Jonathan.

The militant heads were said to have canvassed a view that their full participation in the ongoing political process would enhance their resolve to finally discard the toga of militancy, just as they reportedly expressed dismay that their efforts to dissolve into the campaign programme of President Jonathan were not being appreciated.

It is not certain which specific roles the militants desired to play in the presidential campaigns of the aspirants, whom they reportedly met. However, it was disclosed that tentative agreements were reached by the campaign team of General Buhari that they should make a bold appearance during his inaugural campaign summit scheduled to take place in Abuja any moment from now.

Checks within the IBB campaign organisation revealed that none of the militant leaders was able to meet the Minna general in person, but reportedly met his aides in Abuja and told them about their desire to feature in his campaign programmes.

When the militants met with the representatives of the ex-president recently, Nigerian Tribune gathered that they vowed to support him if he agreed to a one-term tenure and hand over power to a candidate from the South-South geopolitical zone in 2015.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that Babangida was told to rescind his decision of handing over to a candidate from the South-East, choose a vice-president from South-South, implement the white paper of the Ledun Mittee committee and create additional states in the South-South geopolitical zone.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that the militants were working with notable South-South governors, who were said to be working underground for different northern presidential aspirants following their irreconcilable differences with President Jonathan.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/10635-2011-militants-hold-secret-meetings-with-ibb-buhari-ex-military-president-given-conditions