Ex-militants at a forum.
Daily Times reported on Tuesday that the former war-lords as they are popularly called are quarreling over the Presidential Amnesty programme given to repented ex- freedom fighters in the Delta region by the late President Musa Yar’dua administration.
It was gathered that some of the ex-freedom fighters are of the opinion that the programme was a waste funds and that the country was running a huge budget in funding it.
But, some of the ex-militants have promised to let hell lose if the programme is scraped. The ex-militants advocating for the continuation of the amnesty programme have vowed to use every resources available to them to fight any attempt by the in-coming Federal Government to stop the programme.
Other former war-lords, however, alleged that the programme had so far benefited selected people and therefore, opined that it should not be continued.
Speaking on the issue, Mr. Eyiri Emami, an ex- warlord, negated against the continuation of the programme. He urged the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari to halt the programme because it was not benefitting the Niger Delta region.
The former freedom fighters, who gave the remark under the auspices of Leadership, Peace & Cultural Development Initiative, led by its president, Pastor Reuben Wilson, told all beneficiaries of the programme to be on red alert for any eventuality.
The ex-militants warned the President-elect and his party to shun those calling for the scraping of the programme, alleging that they are plotting to cause conflict in the region ahead the coming administration.
Wilson, who used the medium to take a swipe at Emami, said he is an ethnic warlord, who is trying to spark up trouble, revealing that the latter is not even an ex-freedom fighter.
The clergyman further hinted that Emami was not among those who surrendered their arms to the government in the interest of peace during the commencement of the amnesty programme.
He said Emami’s call was propelled by his hatred for the Ijaw people as well as his ill-conceived idea that the Ijaws were the major beneficiaries of the amnesty programme due to their population and participation in the agitation for the emancipation of the region.
“Mr. Emami’s hatred for the Ijaw ethnic nationality has beclouded hissense of reasoning and led him to make this unholy, catastrophic and ill-advised call to scrap the amnesty programme,” Wilson said.
The repented ex-militant turned pastor reiterated that the only way to keep the peace currently enjoyed in the Delta region was to continue the programme. He called on the beneficiaries to be ready to defend the Niger Delta people from further deprivation and marginalisation in whatever method.
Meanwhile, the president, Civil Right Congress of Nigeria and senator-elect, Comrade Shehu Sani, had posited that the amnesty programme introduced by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration for repented ex-militants in the Niger Delta region has become a sham, hence should be scraped completely.
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