Ex-militants threaten to return to the creeks over govt neglect

By Enaibo Asiayei

Ex-militants in Ilaje and Eseodo Local Government Areas of Ondo state have threatened to recover their arms and return to the creeks where they belong, if the government failed to redeem its pledge immediately.

They alleged that they were abandoned by the state government on their integration into the amnesty programme after submitting their weapons to the state government on November 30, 2017 at Arogbo centre in Ese-odo Local Government following an agreement by the state government to integrate them into the federal government amnesty programme.

However, since a year ago, they said there was no response from the federal government on their integration and payment of what was due to them.

A statement by one of their leaders, Bowei Felix (Kaka Duku 1 of the Niger Delta) and four other ‘Generals’ including Bekewei Iyaboerigha, Akpos George, Mefun Kenneth and Eddy David (aka Ijebu) after their meeting, said they had suffered untold  hardship,since they laid down their arms.

According to the statement “we will distrupt elections or political campaigns in Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government in 2019 if nothing is done before the end of this year. We are ready to damn the consequence having waited endlessly without any response.

“We are idle, no job, no food for our families. We live in penury. If we get our weapons back we will go back to our base in the creeks and continue enjoying our lives there as usual.”

However, the state government has repeatedly promised to look into the matter, urging the ex-militants to exercise patience.