Hundreds Of Ex-militants Captured – Brig General Boroh

Brigadier-General Paul Boroh (Rtd), on Monday, January 11, said hundreds of ex-militants in the Niger Delta region have been captured in the ongoing verification exercise for amnesty programme, Today.ng reports.

Boroh, who is the special adviser to the President and coordinator of the amnesty programme said there are no plans to end the programme as speculated in some quarters.

The special adviser revealed that the Federal Government intends to get rid of alleged ghost names registered in the programme.

He said the verification exercise became necessary in order to sustain prompt payments for the ex-agitators and other programmes of training and empowerment as enshrined in the agenda of the amnesty programme.

Brig General Boroh explained that the federal government recognises the importance of the amnesty programme to the sustenance of peace and security in the Niger Delta region.

Following speculation in some quarters that the federal government plan on scrapping the Niger Delta Amnesty programme, Bayelsa Elders Council (BEC) recently warned President Muhammadu Buhari against such decision.  In a statement, BEC said ending Amnesty programme in December, would have serious security implications for the Niger Delta area.

The decision to end the programme might not be unconnected with diverse controversies regarding the amnesty scheme, especially the latest being the submission of “ghost names” to take-up the spaces of Niger-Delta militants enrolled in the programme.

Just last week, President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government commenced the direct payment of salaries into the account of former militants of the Niger Delta region. 

The Federal Government-led by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua granted amnesty to the Niger Delta Militants as part of a desperate effort to curb the restiveness in the oil rich region in 2009. The programme has reportedly gulped $1 billion.