Nigeria's amnesty boss assures ex-militants of payment this week

The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta/Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd) has assured ex-agitators in the Niger Delta that their delayed stipends will be paid this week.

Brig-Gen. Boroh, who lamented the plight of the ex-agitators over the delayed stipends, reiterated the federal government’s commitment towards re-engineering the Amnesty Programme in their favour.

He maintained that his office is doing everything humanly possible to ensure that their stipends are paid as at when due, pointing out that it would be counterproductive for ex-agitators to take to the streets at a time the federal government is making frantic efforts to address the challenges facing the programme.

The amnesty boss therefore called on all agitators in the Niger Delta region to shun acts that are inimical to public peace, adding that such anti-social actions, such as violent street protests, among others could be hijacked by hoodlums to cause mayhem on innocent and law abiding citizens, to discredit the programme and embarrass the government.

Meanwhile, a leader of the third phase of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, Mr. John Ebi, has appealed to his colleagues to be patient as plans are on top gear to ensure that the stipends are paid this week.

Also, a former agitator under the first phase of the programme and the Executive Director of Peace Advocates Outreach, Chief Jephtah Kalaiti, has also added his voice to the call for restraint, appealing to ex-agitators to listen to the voice of wisdom in giving the Amnesty Office the benefit of doubt. 

Two sailors killed, four kidnapped in ship attacks off Niger Delta

ABUJA Two Nigerian sailors were killed on Saturday by gunmen who attacked two ships off the coast of the Niger Delta, authorities said.
 Navy spokesman Kabir Aliyu said four foreigners were kidnapped in the attack, but did not give their nationalities. The attack happened about 35 nautical miles off the coast of the Niger Delta, a region once beset by militant and criminal attacks that has seen relative calm following a government-sponsored amnesty deal in 2008. Aliyu said a helicopter and a ship had been deployed into the area to help search and rescue efforts.
 Navy officials say the affected ships belong to the Sea Trucks Group, an oil and gas contractor with offices in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.  Attacks of this nature and kidnappings were a common occurrence in the Niger Delta before the militants embraced the amnesty deal.
 The oil-rich region, which accounts for more than 70 per cent of Nigeria's revenue, is characterised by poor infrastructure, poverty and pollution.