In Imo State, Militant Surrender Weapons Embrace Amnesty; Find Out

The Niger Delta Red Squad, the major militant group that has been responsible for the bombing of pipeline and other oil facilities surrendered their weapons after embracing the state’s amnesty programme. This took place from the restive creeks of Imo State yesterday.

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Also embracing the amnesty were over 900 former militants belonging to other armed groups which also handed over their weapons, including AK 47 riffles, rocket launchers, pump action guns of various sizes and large quantity of explosives. They were pardoned by Governor Rochas Okorocha, who presided over the disarmament under the watch of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade, Brig.-Gen. KAY Isiyaku and other security chiefs.

Presenting the militants to the Governor at the Government House Chapel, the Chairman of the State Disarmament Committee, Mr. Kingsley Uju, said that it took the committee over four months to get the agitators to renounce militancy and embrace the programme.

He noted that from their interactions with the militants at their various camps in the creeks, the major reasons they gave for taking up arms after the Federal Government Amnesty Programme of 2008 was their exclusion from the empowerment programme and the underdevelopment of the region.

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