Boko Haram: Amnesty Programme Can’t Be Funded With N/Delta Resources, Says Fmr Ijaw Youth President

boko-haram-attacks-yobe-nigeriaDr. Chris Ekiyor, has described plans by the Federal Government to grant amnesty to members of Boko Haram sect as a fraud, warning that the people of the Niger Delta will resist any attempt to use resources from the region to finance such amnesty programme.

Ekiyor, who was a former President of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC,  said it defied logic to compare the activities of the sect members with that of the Niger Delta militants, noting that the focus of the Niger Delta struggle was to attract government’s attention to the degradation of their environment due to oil exploration and poverty of the people, whereas Boko Haram had embarked on mass killing of Nigerians and had remained faceless.

He said: “Beyond talking about amnesty for a group of people, who are murderers, I think that government has misplaced its priority in terms of what it is saying. Dialogue with the people, yes. Amnesty, no.

“Amnesty is not an exit window for criminals. These are people who have murdered over 5,000 people in cold blood. When people are in the churches, they bomb the church, killing people who are equally victims of bad governance like you and I.

“Again, 80 percent of these people are not Nigerians. So if you are granting them amnesty, from where will you take the resources to reintegrate them?

“Is it the Niger Delta resources, our oil money to integrate criminals and murderers in the North?

“That money should be put into infrastructures across the country if the money is too much in the government coffers. They should develop Nigeria. But I have issue in taking Niger Delta people’s money to rehabilitate a bunch of elements, who are extremists in their activities” he fumed.

 

5 COMMENTS

  1. Granting amnesty to a faceless, barbaric, and blood-thirsty group like Bokoharam, who have no reasonable and genuine course they’re fighting for, other than being used by selfish and disgruntled elements in the north to kill innocent citizens of this country and make the country ungovernable for this present govt, is the most stupid and cowardly decision to take. They are terrorists, and should be treated as such. But if this govt should cowardly grant them amnesty, they should also fund it from their own purse, or from their own resources. Because the N/Delta will resists any attempt to use their God-given resources to fund amnesty for any idiotic sect!

  2. Good talk always sound meaningful and lively to the heart. However, we should join hands togetther and say NO to the northerners and Jonathan with their self decision. How can we be kill innocentlily in our so called country and the will not be able to defend ourlives insteady they come to compaset them for their evil killings. See, let me tell you, the NEF Northern Elders Forum are also the Boko. Theives! Alas! Our government cannot even protect its citizens even when any of the international communities will way angainst us.

  3. Granting Amnesty to Terrorist is a crime against humanity. Granting Amnesty to Murderers who have wasted innocent bloods. Infact I have not seen nor heard where it happened in the whole world. The world is watching us. President Jonathan should not make such mistake otherwise He will enter into trouble, A trouble that He will never come out of forever. By the way which money and resources will the government use to grant Boko Haram terrorist Amnesty when the Eastern youths have flared all over the country struggling to survive, and in search of green pastures while thousands of them have been killed, why don’t the government call them back and empower them, they deserve to be taken care of. Also the victims of the Boko Haram, their families should also be compensated before thinking of awarding their Murderers. That’s my contribution. Let us be careful.