EX-militants from the coastal area of Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, has threatened to make the state ungovernable for Governor Rotimi Akeredolu if the state government failed to yield to their demands.
The ex militants alleged the state government of playing politics with the amnesty granted to some militants who laid down their arms and ammunition in the state recently.
They alleged that many of their names have been substituted to benefit from the amnesty, noting that political leaders in the state were allocated with the slots meant for the real militants while militants were excluded from the exercise.
“We are ready to embrace peace and we have shown our readiness to embrace, we have submitted our weapons, riffles, dynamites and other explosives in accordance with the agreement that they will empower us, but to our dismay, they brought in political class, who never submitted or dropped anything.
A leader of the group, General Bowei Felix said, they are ready to go back to the field to resume their activities of the state government failed to honour its promise.
The group however, issued a 21 day ultimatum to the state government to attend to include their need or they would be ready to go back to the creek
“We are ready for war as long as we have been deceived to drop our weapons and let all Nigerian Army be on ground, we will fight with our last drop of blood over our rights, ww are determined”
“We therefore call on the federal and the state governments and the amnesty international to do the needful within 21 days to properly document each ” general” by giving us our expected slots and pay each the expected benefits in line with the financial principles guiding the programme.
“They preached peace and we accepted the peace but the current situation is that we are disappointed with the current happenings.”
In his reaction, the state information commissioner, Yemi Olowolabi said, the exercise is in phases saying the second phase would be coming up this week.
He said those staging the protest are not ex-militants but a group of jobless and disgruntled elements masquerading themselves as ex-militants.
He said the leaders from various camp were invited where they harmonised the forms within themselves and distributed the forms.
He said the amnesty program of the state government had not only received commendation from other Niger Delta states but has been seen as a model.
He, however, said that very insignificant number of those protesting are not a member of the executive agitators, saying those protesting are not ex-militants.
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