Date Published: 08/21/09

Dear Sir,

President's insincerity in the amnesty

It is either that the President set out with insincerity in his amnesty for the militants or that he is caught in the web of misapplication.

You announced amnesty; Boyloaf with his boys came out and did what they did. The same Boyloaf had said (in Daily SUN) that his initial sponsor that gave him N15million in 2005 is in the Presidency. The President has not done or said anything about it. How do you want Boyloaf and other militants to take the president ’ s inaction towards ensuring the accused sponsor was fished out to public domain; it could mean that the president is not sincere. Let him not forget that Boyloaf who had warned that the federal government should live up to its own side of the bargain, did not surrender all the arms he accumulated.

You announced amnesty; groups of militants are allowed to undo themselves. One group went to ‘ surrender ’ its arms in Port Harcourt under an alleged financial inducement; some arranged that some should be arrested and it happened. Another group claimed it was on the way to surrender arms but on the way was attacked and in the process some of their members were killed.

You announced amnesty; arrangements in most designated rehabilitation camps were reported looking shabby. How do you expect boys who lived big with oil bunkering funds to come and camp under such conditions? Only hungry criminals or pretentious militants surrendered some of their arms to test the waters.

From the above, you need no crystal ball to understand that the amnesty deal is dead. I pity the old man Ufot Ekaette who allowed himself in the court of mess by accepting to be the Minister of Niger Delta.

Ndubuisi Nwaorah

245 Zik Avenue

Awka – Anambra State