Abia gov gives kidnappers 2-week ultimatum
From CHUKS ONUOHA, Umuahia
Friday, September 24, 2010
•Gov. Theodore Orji
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminals in Abia have been given two weeks to surrender their arms and embrace the amnesty package offered them by the state and Federal Governments or face military onslaught.

The state Governor, Dr. Theodore Orji stated this yesterday as a way of addressing the continued security problems in the state, particularly, Abia South Senatorial District in which Aba, the commercial nerve centre of the state falls.

He was speaking while making amnesty proclamation in Umuahia, where he called on sons and daughters of the state to leave criminality and embrace the long arm of love offered them by the state. The governor said government inaction towards the evil activities of the criminals should not be taken as a sign of weakness but as a way of showing love to the citizens of the state.

The amnesty programme, he said, would take effect from Thursday and elapse on midnight of Friday, October 7. Governor Orji also said the amnesty programme for repentant criminals would only be effective upon surrendering and handing over of all equipment, weapons, arms and ammunition.
The repentant criminals would also be expected to fill forms at the Amnesty Resettlement Camp at Asa High School, Ukwa West Local Government Area, which has been reconstructed for their rehabilitation.

According to him, he was empowered by the constitutional provision as contained in Section 212 (1999), which granted him power to grant unconditional pardon to all persons who have directly or indirectly participated in the crime of kidnapping in the state, warning that this was the last chance.

“This is the last chance for the kidnappers because they are not above the law and cannot be,” the governor warned, stating further that his government was serious because the state could no longer be used as a toy place for kidnappers.
“Aba is now a no-go area. Anytime we hear of any shooting or any criminal act, the proclamation should be seen as ended,” he warned, adding that the government does not expect to hear of any criminal act within the two-week period.

“The second attempt at giving amnesty to repentant kidnappers and armed robbers by the state government should not be seen as an admission of weakness or incapacity on the part of government to confront criminals headlong; it is a last attempt at averting the calamity of destruction of lives and property that may befall communities harbouring criminals in the event of the military onslaught which would inevitably come in the event of non-subscription to the programme by the criminal elements in the state.”

Meanwhile, businessmen, traders and other well-to-do people of the state, who are resident in Aba have allegedly fled the city to neighbouring states to escape being kidnapped by the hoodlums who now kill their victims after collecting ransom.
The situation of Aba is more of a war zone as people are no longer sure of what will happen the next minute.

Jeez, where do you Abia people see such half-wits to be your leaders?

If in 2011 this man or another proxy of Orji Uzor Kalu becomes the Governor, i'll forever see Abia indigenes as foolish people who deserve to be shackled hand and foot.

I hope these cowards in Abia look to the Bini youths for example. In 2007, binis voted overwhelmingly to kick PDP out, even when the PDP candidate was a bini indigene and his opponent (oshiomhole) was Etsako. And after the riggers announced a PDP victory, you need to see how the youths took to the streets to protest.

Nonsense!

texazzpete,

We do not have free elections in Abia. Even if you vote for another candidate, Orji Kalu and his cronies control the whole process.

No one likes T.A. Orji or Orji Uzor Kalu in Abia. And I mean no one. But no one has dared to challenge them.

Amnesty to kidnappers, robbers and rapists?
Lord have mercy!

This is quite amazing.The kind of brainless leaders we have parading as governors.Paying mere lip service to the diplorab;e security situation in the Aba axis.Instead of routing out these boys imediately,you prefer to give "muted' amnesty to boys who rape,kill,maim,rob in brazen fashion and broad daylight.T A orji is redefining the word "amnesty"!

I cant seem to believe we have such brazenly brainless people as governors in this country. . .sad

MaziUche0:

texazzpete,

We do not have free elections in Abia. Even if you vote for another candidate, Orji Kalu and his cronies control the whole process.

No one likes T.A. Orji or Orji Uzor Kalu in Abia. And I mean no one. But no one has dared to challenge them.

Then you choose. Choose between being free and being held hostage by greedy State Governors who will happily fiddle while you state burns.

Do something about this in 2011 or i swear i will forever quote this defeatist post next time the likes of MetalGong and udezue start bragging about 'Igbo courage'.

Offering 'amnesty' to kidnappers and killers. What senile rubbish!

But didnt Yaradua and Jonathan offer amnesty to kidnappers? What is different with this one? Abi kidnapper pass kidnapper?

Akin-Egba:

But didnt Yaradua and Jonathan offer amnesty to kidnappers? What is different with this one? Abi kidnapper pass kidnapper?

Amnesty to millitants that they had been fighting. At least at that point it was clear that amnesty was the best option to avoid collateral damage. And the amnesty programme has actually greatly minimised the violence in the Niger Delta.

That's vastly different from making no reasonable effort to check kidnapping and armed robbery, offering an amnesty programme from the state's lean purse to hardened criminals and then offering another amnesty less than a year later.

But this isn't just about Amnesty. The man and his predecessor have been grossly incompetent and extremely corrupt. The people of that state need to take their destinies in their hands. That is all!

texazzpete:

Amnesty to millitants that they had been fighting. At least at that point it was clear that amnesty was the best option to avoid collateral damage. And the amnesty programme has actually greatly minimised the violence in the Niger Delta.

That's vastly different from making no reasonable effort to check kidnapping and armed robbery, offering an amnesty programme from the state's lean purse to hardened criminals and then offering another amnesty less than a year later.

But this isn't just about Amnesty. The man and his predecessor have been grossly incompetent and extremely corrupt. The people of that state need to take their destinies in their hands. That is all!

As I understand most of the kidnappers in Abia state are from the oil-producing region. I also learnt Abia was excluded in the initial amnesty and was only included now. Kidnapper is kidnapper whether militant kidnapper or Aba kidnapper. Either you kill all of them or you give amnesty to all of them.

Akin-Egba:

As I understand most of the kidnappers in Abia state are from the oil-producing region. I also learnt Abia was excluded in the initial amnesty and was only included now. Kidnapper is kidnapper whether militant kidnapper or Aba kidnapper. Either you kill all of them or you give amnesty to all of them.

Don't believe those lies. 99.9% of those people are fighting only for their pockets. That 'oil producing region' story is just a farce.

The 'amnesty' being discussed now is a purely state affair, not the federal govt amnesty programme that has long since concluded. No one is including them in that, this is the Abia Governor using the lean resources of his state to fund this shameless 'amnesty'.

texazzpete:

Don't believe those lies. 99.9% of those people are fighting only for their pockets. That 'oil producing region' story is just a farce.

The 'amnesty' being discussed now is a purely state affair, not the federal govt amnesty programme that has long since concluded. No one is including them in that, this is the Abia Governor using the lean resources of his state to fund this shameless 'amnesty'.

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Kidnappers and armed robbers in Abia State accept state government's amnesty offer
| May 25, 2010
Less than one week after the Abia state governor, Theodore Orji, announced an amnesty offer to repentant kidnappers in Abia state, some kidnappers seem to have accepted the amnesty offer.

He met with a delegation of groups of kidnappers, led by the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps in Abia state and a spokesperson for the kidnappers said his gang started kidnapping to protest their exclusion from the federal government's amnesty offer. He said " As oil producing communities, Owazza and Obokwe in Ukwa West LGA were neglected without hospitals, schools, good roads and other infrastructure. Now, I assure government that everything is over. We want to cooperate with government."

Governor Orji had earlier protested against the Federal Government's exclusion of Abia state from the presidential amnesty offered to militants in the Niger Delta but mentioned that the Minister in charge of the amnesty programme of the federal government has assured him that Abia State will be included in the program.

The governor said this assurance encouraged him to make the amnesty offer to repentant kidnappers in Abia state. He also said, "The disadvantages of kidnapping are enormous, because it has driven away contractors and investors from the state and Aba in particular, making development difficult,"

And speaking to the group he said, "All the arms you have packed somewhere, bring them out for the world to see so that the federal government will accept you into the amnesty programme. You cannot harbour grievance against your fatherland, it is only in the atmosphere of peace that development can take place."

A lawyer for the groups said the delegation had come to ensure that government was serious with the offer and said "In the next week, all the kidnappers will be out with their weapons, making Abia state peaceful once again."
http://ngex.com/news/public/newsinfo.php?nid=8913

The 60-day amnesty programme, which was proclaimed on June 25, 2009 by late President YarA'dua, was effective from August 6,2009 to October 4, 2009 .

It provided unconditional pardon to all persons who have directly or indirectly participated in militant struggles or commission of offences in the course of militant activities in the Niger Delta. "It is sad that despite our state being an oil-producing state and within the Niger-Delta region with preponderance of evidence that Abia youths were involved in the militant activities necessitating the amnesty programme, Abia state and her youths were unjustly excluded from the Federal Government amnesty programme", Orji protested.

The Federal Government appears to have finally bowed to pressure to extend its amnesty to Abia State as it has agreed to, in conjunction with the state government accommodate criminals in Abia in the programme-thanks to the affinity between Gov. Orji and the new President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Consequently, three centres - Asa High School in Ukwa West LGA; Ukpakiri Primary School in Obingwa LGA; and Mbutu-Ukwu Central School in Isialangwa South LGA, have been designated as collection centres of arms and ammunition by repentant criminals. The programme, according to the state government, is to last for two weeks while the centres are to be manned by Civil Defense Corps under the supervision of government officials.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201005270316.html

This is pure scam. Amnesty for Civil Criminals? That's rubbish. What does it take to fish them out and prosecute them. Excepting Orji is tired of sharing the kidnap loot.

@Akin-Egba
Do i have to remind you that this is the second such amnesty offer in the past year in Abia state? The same people collecting 'amnesty' now collected 'amnesty' then. Maybe when the third round comes you will start being cynical about such silly strategies.