Omotayo
Yusuf
Governor
Nyesom Wike inaugurated the State Amnesty Programme Committee on Friday,
September 16 and appointed Sir Ken Chinda who is the special adviser to the
governor on amnesty as chairman.
Militants
in the Niger Delta region have been blowing up oil and gas pipeline with the most
notorious being the Niger Delta Avengers.
In
a statement issued by Simeon Nwakaudu who is the special assistant to the
governor, it was revealed that the committee was made up of representatives of
the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigerian Police and the Department of State
Services.
Governor
Wike charged the committee to interface with different cult groups and
militants for the purpose of retrieving arms from them. He warned them however
not to promise militants that they will be paid for the weapons they
surrendered.
“Anyone
who has surrendered his arms and has followed through the process laid out for
the amnesty will be pardoned. Such a person will not be prosecuted.
“This
committee has 60days to complete its assignment. After the 60days, any cultist
or militant who fails to subscribe to the amnesty programme will face the full
weight of the law”.
The
governor reiterated that the amnesty programme is not politically motivated as
it was designed to promote the security of all communities in the state. Mr Ken
Chinda assured the governor that members of the will work in line with the
terms of reference outlined.
