CONTRARY to widespread speculations, the Federal Government has stated that it did not negotiate any terms with the militiamen for the release of four expatriate oil workers in the Niger Delta.
Rather, the government says it only showed the militiamen the futility of their action, as time was running out on them to surrender the hostages they seized on January….
Indeed, at the height of the hostage saga, President Obasanjo had labelled the kidnappers “terrorists” and vowed that government would not negotiate with them for the release of the captured oilmen.
Nonetheless, the government has scheduled a meeting of stakeholders in Abuja tomorrow to do a post-mortem on the hostage logjam. Police Affairs Minister, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo disclosed this to The Guardian.
Prior to the release of the captives last Monday, reports, quoting some individuals involved in the process of freedom for the victims, indicated that a deal was struck with the kidnappers for the release of detained leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari.
The Secretary General of the Ijaw Youth Council, Miabiye Kurumiema however stated that the only solution to the problem is for the federal government to live up to its commitments to the region, including amnesty for Asari-Dokubo and development projects.
The detainee, facing treason charges in Abuja, was credited to have endorsed the freedom for the oil workers before they were released to the Bayelsa State government.
But Bozimo iterated government’s stand on the matter at the weekend. He said that government did not negotiate with the kidnappers.
“It was not negotiation at all; we were not negotiating with hostage takers,” he said. “The elders met and set up a committee that worked out the solution that led to the release of the hostages.”
He continued: “As far as I know, no conditions were met, no responsible government will negotiate with hostage takers. It is not done. These are our children.
“Don’t forget that a lot of mayhem had been committed and so Mr. President said that we should go easy because of the lives of those hostages.
“He only said we should ensure their release and that was what the special committee set up for that purpose did.”
Bozimo noted that a large Ijaw elders’ committee set up a smaller committee that did the negotiations.
“Government was, strictly speaking, not part of it’ he said. “But having secured the release of the hostages, the President is prepared to do a post-mortem on the matter.”
But he declined to name the participants, the agenda and likely outcome of the parley.
Bozimo decried resort to hostage taking as a bargaining chip, stating, “all I know is that this hostage taking and all of those issues have some element of criminality. It is not all politics. Some people may take hostages because they want money.”
He said that, as an Ijaw man and Minister of Police Affairs, he would advise the young men not to tread this path again.
“No responsible government will condone a situation when youths kill policemen, soldiers and other people. I am appealing to our youths to just take it easy,” he said.