Amnesty Programme not for new militants

The Amnesty Programme of Nigeria’s government will not admit new militants, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brig.- Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), has said.

Boroh, who is also the Coordinator Presidential Amnesty Programme, made this known when stakeholders of the programme visited him on Friday in Abuja.

He explained that his mandate was to reintegrate 30,000 ex-agitators captured in the Amnesty Programme, stressing that he could not go beyond that limit.

“Amnesty Programme worldwide has a limit because it is a master piece strategy to resolve militancy. When that of Nigeria was established in 2009, it was supposed to exist for a particular time.

“I do not intend to bring in more agitators into the programme because that is not my mandate.

“My mandate is to reintegrate 30,000 ex-agitators that are already in the programme.

“I do not think that the Federal Government is going to have another Amnesty Programme; it is very expensive and at present, our economy is not in the right status.”

He, however, said that the number was already bloated because communities affected during the conflicts were being taken care of by government.

He added that some members of the communities had been enlisted in skills acquisition and training programmes.

According to him, the Federal Government has commenced dialogue with the Niger Delta Avengers through the Dialogue Committee.

This, he said, was with a view to halting the lingering hostility and bombing of oil facilities in the region.

He charged the stakeholders to think of ways of creating jobs for those living in the region and how to develop the country