The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has warned the Federal Government (FG) against scrapping the amnesty programme for ex-millitant in the Niger Delta region.
A member of the board of trustees of PANDEF Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe who stated this in an exclusive interview with National Ambassador, warned that the action will increase criminality in the region.
Chief Sara-Igbe who is also the cordinator of the South-south Elders Forum further disclosed that the proposed action will also trigger unrest in the region.
“The boys will go back to the creek, and when they do, the level of oil theft, bunkering, pipeline vandalism, sea piracy and other criminal activities will increase in the region, thus devastating the nation’s economy.
“Some of our boys are outside the country and some in the country, they are all doing one programme or the other and stopping the amnesty is stopping their academic progress.” he stated further.
Sara-Igbe maintained that the aim of the agricultural and other programmes initiated by FG for the ex-millitant will be rendered useless if the amnesty programme is scrapped.
Meanwhile, the president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Mr. Peter Igbifa has also described the recommendation to scrap the amnesty programme as a call to anarchy, adding that the committee that gave the recommendation lacks the understanding of the foundation of the amnesty programme.
He also said that people of the Niger Delta were not consulted by the committee before recommending termination of the presidential amnesty programme.
Igbifa further advised the president to take a critical look at the people who work with him, stating that no right thinking man will wake up and give such advice without due consultation with the people of Niger Delta.
“Neglecting the fact that the oil-rich Niger Delta sustains the nation’s economy could be dangerous. President Muhammadu Buhari should kick out the bad eggs around him with such recommendation as they never meant well for our nation Nigeria”, he further added.
