Date Published: 09/07/09

Dear Sir,

The mess of an amnesty programme

Many had doubted the workability of the amnesty granted to the militants recently.  First, logistics were not on ground to ensure that those who surrendered their arms and ammunition would be totally taken care of at the end. Secondly, the camps these youths are kept were not prepared to receive such crowds. Thirdly, the federal government denied money changed hands, but the recent events have shown that it lied. The militant youths at the camps in Bayelsa, at least, have complained about all the above.

Judging from what I read in Guardian of Saturday September 5, 2009, the militants numbering hundreds had a public demonstration on the streets of Yenagoa, accusing their leaders of staying in comforts while leaving them at the camps that were not refurbished. They accused their leaders of diverting the allowances given to them and that they now see that the N10million promised them might not after all come their way. Furthermore, they no longer have access to their leaders; and they have threatened to go back to the creeks with or without such leaders, after all they can create leaders amongst themselves as there was nothing very special about their past leaders, they squealed.

With all this, what can one say other than that the federal and the state governments involved are looking insincere about and insensitive to, the plight of these youths? The situation is definitely a cage of gunpowder.

Udy Etop Akpabio,

Umuahia Road,

Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State