Don’t Give Amnesty to Militants, FG Urged.

A human rights advocacy group, the Advocates of Social Justice
for All (ASJA) has said those engaged in destruction of oil and gas
infrastructures under the guise of agitation should be treated as
terrorists.

The group urged the federal government to reject calls in some
quarters that amnesty be granted to the militants. It said the
amnesty is very expensive to maintain and also encourages
criminality.

Addressing journalists, Sunday, in Abuja, ASJA national
president, Torkuma Venatius said granting amnesty to militants who
have engaged in destruction of national assets is like rewarding
criminality and is capable of eroding patriotism.

He said, “First we want to note that such calls for negotiation
are a disservice to the decent and well meaning people of the Niger
Delta. Those engaged in destruction of oil and gas infrastructures
represent an infinitesimal fraction of the entire population yet
their action is being used to label an entire region.

“Whatever the outcome of their negotiations are will not
positively impact the larger population of the area since these
so-called militants are only interested in lining their own pockets
while fulfilling the wishes of the political class they answer
to.

“We must also ask what has happened to the previous amnesty
granted to these same set of people under the administration of
late President Umaru Yar’Adua, which was later continued as an
elaborate scam under the succeeding administration.”

According to him, some individuals have reneged on the amnesty
deal and have again began attacking the state while their sponsors
rushed to saturate the media with calls for negotiations so that
they can put the country through another cycle of extortion.

He said, “it is on this note that we demand that the Federal
Government immediately publish the terms of the amnesty agreement
earlier entered to with militants.

“The government must then act on the terms of this agreement
especially the aspect that forbade a return to criminality as this
alone is a basis for putting those that are committing present
destruction on trial.”

The post Don’t Give Amnesty to Militants, FG Urged.
appeared first from online sources and was reposted by the community on Welcome to 9jalegal – Nigeria’s Leading Legal
Information and Services Portal.

A human rights advocacy group, the Advocates of Social Justice
for All (ASJA) has said those engaged in destruction of oil and gas
infrastructures under the guise of agitation should be treated as
terrorists.

The group urged the federal government to reject calls in some
quarters that amnesty be granted to the militants. It said the
amnesty is very expensive to maintain and also encourages
criminality.

Addressing journalists, Sunday, in Abuja, ASJA national
president, Torkuma Venatius said granting amnesty to militants who
have engaged in destruction of national assets is like rewarding
criminality and is capable of eroding patriotism.

He said, “First we want to note that such calls for negotiation
are a disservice to the decent and well meaning people of the Niger
Delta. Those engaged in destruction of oil and gas infrastructures
represent an infinitesimal fraction of the entire population yet
their action is being used to label an entire region.

“Whatever the outcome of their negotiations are will not
positively impact the larger population of the area since these
so-called militants are only interested in lining their own pockets
while fulfilling the wishes of the political class they answer
to.

“We must also ask what has happened to the previous amnesty
granted to these same set of people under the administration of
late President Umaru Yar’Adua, which was later continued as an
elaborate scam under the succeeding administration.”

According to him, some individuals have reneged on the amnesty
deal and have again began attacking the state while their sponsors
rushed to saturate the media with calls for negotiations so that
they can put the country through another cycle of extortion.

He said, “it is on this note that we demand that the Federal
Government immediately publish the terms of the amnesty agreement
earlier entered to with militants.

“The government must then act on the terms of this agreement
especially the aspect that forbade a return to criminality as this
alone is a basis for putting those that are committing present
destruction on trial.”

The post Don’t Give Amnesty to Militants, FG Urged.
appeared first from online sources and was reposted by the community on Welcome to 9jalegal – Nigeria’s Leading Legal
Information and Services Portal.