Unhappy at the slow pace of developments since the new Akwa Ibom State governor Udom Emmanuel has taken over on May 29, the group said it members have suffered neglect since the change of administration. According to the group’s spokesperson Commander Ebong Friday, the state government has neglected its members since they dropped their arms in response to the federal government's amnesty programme.
Issuing the warning at Eket in Eket Local Government Area of the state at a meeting with his members yesterday, Commmander Friday said that about 950 members of his group were yet to be integrated and documented in the federal government amnesty programme. He has given Governor Emmanuel a one week ultimatum to empower his members in the youth empowerment programme or risk dire consequences.
Comrade Friday said: “It is very unfortunate that the state government is taking us for granted. We dropped our arms in the course of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and chose to embrace peace.
“The Akwa Ibom State government called for amnesty and we surrendered our arms with an agreement that they would train us and integrate us. However, after we voluntarily dropped our arms to embrace peace so that we could achieve what they had promised us, they turned their backs on us.”
He stated that they went to Obubra for training and came back to the state but that the state government had yet to sort them out. Since assuming office, President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to continue with the amnesty programme first launched by President Umaru Yar'Adua in 2008 and has appointed retired Brigadier Paul Boroh as its national coordinator.
Brigadier Boroh has already assumed duty with a promise to strengthen the programme and make it more efficient and beneficial to the people and his appointment has been widely welcomed by militant groups. However, despite the existing amnesty pact between the region and the federal government, active militant camps are still being operated in the creeks.
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