Protesting ex-militants yesterday held students and staff of Federal Government Girls College, Benin hostage over their non documentation by those in charge of documentation in the Federal Government’s Amnesty programme.
The former militants who apart from disrupting the on-going second term examinations in the school and other academic activities at the college located at Ugbowo, Benin City, also took over the ever-busy Benin- Lagos road leading to the college where militants who surrendered their arms were rehabilitated before moving to Delta State for further integration.
The ex-militants sometime last month protested at Government House, Benin over their non-documentation by the authorities charged with the implementation of the amnesty programme.
The activities of the protesting militants who were in their hundreds led to heavy vehicular and human traffic jam in the area.
Spokesman of the group, Eti Confidence, told journalists that they were from Lord Agbuke-led Niger Delta Freedom Fighters, disclosing that they surrendered their weapons after the October 4th, 2009 deadline for the official submission of arms and ammunitions by militants.
Before the protesting ex-militants were dispersed by anti-riot policemen, a member of the group who met the amnesty programme arms submission deadline described the protesting militants as fake who are only capitalizing on the success of the programme to seek recognition.
The member who spoke on condition of anonymity said what they are after at present is the full implementation of the post amnesty programme, adding that the so-called protesting militants failed to key into the Federal Government programme at the right time.