Militant youths in Ondo State have given a three-day ultimatum to oil companies operating in the state to leave unless the state government enrols their members in the amnesty programme meant for ex-militants.
The youths under the auspices of the Coalition of Militant Groups spoke Friday during their protest at Oil Producing Area Development Commission office in Oba-Ile, Akure, the state capital against the non-inclusion of names of their members on the list of the beneficiaries of the Federal Government Amnesty Programme.
The Ondo State government and the Presidential Amnesty Committee had in November 2017 granted amnesty to some ex-militants in the state. Under the arrangement, the ex-militants were to submit their arms and be enrolled in the amnesty programme of the Federal Government.
Speaking with journalists on the development, Mr. Akinfemi Raymond, the secretary of the group, , said failure to yield to their demand might result to a crisis in the area, alleging that the state government politicised the exercise by including those who were not militants in the programme.
Raymond listed some of the concerned militant groups as The United Sea-wolf Avengers, The Awaja Camp, The Niger Delta Militant Vanguard, The Dragon and Lion Camp.
He said, “We are giving the state government three days ultimatum to meet our demands or else the horse rider will give a knock and the evil dance will never end. We are also saying oil companies operating in the oil producing communities in Ondo State should vacate the communities within the next three days.
“Despite our obedience to the state commissioner of police to vacate our protest venue, suddenly, some armed mobile policemen came and started shooting, which wounded four of our members, while three other members were affected by tear gas.
“Government has declared war on us and we will not relent until all our members are duly captured and all our arrears are paid from November 2017 to date.”
Similarly, one of the militants who identified himself as Capt. Kingsley, alleged that Mr. Agboola Ajayi, the state Deputy Governor, who is the chairman of the state amnesty programme, had politicised the exercise by adding more people from non-riverine areas to benefit from the amnesty programme.
In his reaction, Mr. Yemi Olowolabi, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, said those staging the protest were not ex-militants, but a group of jobless and disgruntled elements masquerading themselves as ex-militants.
Olowolabi said 4,000 was the number of ex-militants captured during the biometric exercise, but only 1,000 forms were received from Abuja, and that the ex-militant leaders from various camps were invited where they shared the forms within themselves.
“The amnesty programme of the state government has not only received commendation from other Niger Delta states but has been seen as a model,” he noted.
Also, , Mr. Femi Joseph, the in the state, denied allegations that policemen shot at the protesters. He said men of the command were deployed in the area to forestall breakdown of law and order.
