Sunday, February 14, 2016

1,500 Niger Delta militants to surrender arms to FG





More than 1,500 Niger Delta militants on Sunday expressed their desire to embrace amnesty and surrender arms to the Federal Government.

Their decision followed the intervention of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu.

They, however, warned that their willingness to surrender arms should not be seen as an act of cowardice but an act of patriotism.

The militants’ resolution was contained in a statement in Abuja by their leaders, O.C. Babaeere and America Tekeiminikpoba, on behalf of other Commanders from Arepo, Ikorodu, Abule, Fatorla, Ibafo, Magboro, Epe, Itokin, Ilepete, Okenekene, Agric, Gbokoda camps, Camp 5 and environs.

The militants expressed their desire to surrender arms and embrace the amnesty programme so long as the government remained sincere.

While premising their action on the peaceful approach of Kachikwu, the militants declared that all NNPC facilities and their subsidiaries must work for the betterment of Nigeria and the economic efficiency in the face of dwindling oil prices.

“We also agree that all NNPC facilities and its subsidiaries must work for the betterment of Nigeria and the economic efficiency in the face of dwindling oil pricesa,” the statement said.
“However, our willingness to surrender should not be seen as an act of cowardice, rather, as an act of patriotism.”

No comments: