Amnesty: JTF To Bomb Creeks After October 4

The military and navy components of the JTF are said to be mobilising for the task.

Already, some soldiers are said to have moved into Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State while security sources said Naval personnel and their counterparts in the Air Force are also finalising preparations for the aerial and sea bombardments of the creeks.

But the Bayelsa State government, apparently invigorated by its successes in its ability to get a good number of militants to surrender their arms last week and accept the amnesty offer, is mobilising people into the creeks to convince the remaining militants to come out.

One of the dreaded militants, Young Shall Grow, is expected to come out by this week to accept the amnesty. He is said to be the remaining prominent militant leader in the forest, after Tompolo, Boy Loaf and Africa who led hundreds of others to surrender their weapons last Saturday.

It was gathered that the government of Bayelsa has been sending its foot soldiers and some of the repentant militant leaders to the remnants in the creeks to talk to them on the need for them to accept the amnesty and leave the creeks before the expiration of the deadline.

A competent security source told Sunday Independent on Friday that more soldiers would be arriving Yenagoa, which is the current headquarters of the JTF, as the deadline approaches.

Also on Friday came a revelation that the Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva was the one who convinced President Umaru Yar’Adua to float the amnesty package as a way of getting the boys out of the creeks.

Incidentally, Sylva was out of the country when his other colleagues met and resolved to back out of the programme. They were to rescind the decision and eventually queued behind the president after Sylva’s return from his overseas trip.

The special adviser to the governor on security matters, Richard Kpodo told Sunday Independent in an interview in Yenagoa on Friday that the government was doing everything to ensure that all the militants left the creeks, more so as the boys were getting tired of the forest.

But he said there was an urgent need for the Federal Government to probe those behind the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) who have since vowed to resume hostilities in the region by September 15.

Kpodo who said there was a high suspicion that some highly placed people in government may have been behind the activities of MEND said it was worrisome that even after a good number of the ring leaders of MEND had come out to accept amnesty, the group was still issuing threats to the nation.

His words: “The governor of Bayelsa State advocated this amnesty thing to the president. At that time, nobody even thought the whole thing could work out. But as the days go by, the thing played out itself because he had his own strategy.

“He used various people and we were playing some underground roles. But I must give credit to the governor. The man has been getting in touch with them and telling them why they must drop their arms.

“He was open to them. Even if he did not get into the creeks, most of them had his phone number. They called him and sometimes, they threatened him but he was calm. He has not changed his phone number, so most of them have the number and were communicating with him and he was assuring them that they won’t be hurt.

“He told them that the game is up, that it is better for us to have a better Niger Delta, that the president has agreed to develop the Niger Delta. You know when two children are fighting, they will always expect somebody to mediate.”

He wondered why MEND would continue to dish out threats.

” The Federal Government should probe MEND, whether they are in government, whether they are in The Presidency, it is now the Federal Government’s duty to find out those who are behind MEND.”

Kpodo said some of the sponsors of MEND may have done so either to secure appointment from the Federal Government or to boost their bunkering business.

He said: ” You ask those people, how many of their children are in that jungle.They are instigating other people’s children to fight and be killed. The boys are willing to come out and the sponsors are saying no. That is why we want the Federal Government to probe MEND for us to know those who are behind them.

“I have a strong conviction that there are people in government who are behind MEND. These people are faceless. Let them come out and talk the way we are talking now. What are we benefiting from this fight?”