The continued proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Rivers State and the attendant gratuitous killings, kidnappings, arson and other degrees of criminal activities in many communities of the state are calling into question the impact of the amnesty agreement between ex-Niger Delta militants and the Federal Government.
BDSUNDAY investigations in some communities in Rivers State revealed that small arms and light weapons, primarily assault rifles, rockets and self-loading pistols, are still proliferating as cult clashes and political unrest persist, leading some senior citizens to suggest that the amnesty agreement may have failed to achieve its set objectives.
Worried by the growing sabotage of oil installations and other crimes by the militants in the Niger Delta region, the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had in 2009 proclaimed amnesty to repentant militants as recommended by the Presidential Panel on Amnesty and Disarmament for Militants of the Niger-Delta.
According to the agreement, “The pardon shall take effect upon the surrender and handing over of all equipment, weapons, arms and ammunition and execution of the renunciation of Militancy Forms specified in the schedule by the affected persons at the nearest collection centre established for the purpose of Government in each of the Niger Delta States.”
Seven years after, however, with prevailing arms proliferation, fresh concerns are being raised that the agreement may have fallen flat on its belly.
Dakuku Peterside, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State in the 2015 election and now director-general, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), while addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt in June last year, sounded an alarm that there were too many guns in the state.
“There are too many guns and arms currently in circulation across the state with government looking on and doing nothing, giving criminals a free rein,” he had said.
Sources in Omoku and Okposi communities of the state told BDSUNDAY that over 80 percent of youths in communities like Ogoni, Okirika, Omoku, Obrimko, Okposi, Ahoada, among others own various arms kept either at home or near bushes where they can quickly reach them to unleash violence on vulnerable residents.
BDSUNDAY reliably gathered that some residents in these communities whose relations are members of cult gangs had at one time or the other related information to security agents but nothing was done to either arrest the culprits or even investigate the matter. In some instances, identities of residents who volunteered information to security agents had been revealed to the cultists who retaliated by killing such informants.
Anthony Ile, secretary to the Council of Chiefs, Okposi Community in Ogba/Ndoni/Egbema Local Government Area, is the latest senior community leader to be killed in the middle of the night in a gruesome manner as the massacre intensifies in some oil-producing communities.
The cultists, after killing the 65-year-old lecturer who a week before his death had worked as ‘fixer’ with our correspondent, set his house ablaze and burnt him beyond recognition with one of his grandchildren who was in the building with him.
Barisi Chukwudi, a Port Harcourt-based security expert, told BDSUNDAY in an interview that the increasing crime rate in the South-South in general, and Rivers State in particular, was evidence that the ex-militants did not submit all the arms in their possession when they received pardon from the FG.
“Here in Rivers, sporadic shooting and daylight robbery are very common. Just last week here in Port Harcourt, some armed youths, apparently working with a tipoff, came to a place near SPAR Shopping Mall and seized a Toyota Hilux loaded with money; killing two mobile policemen in the process. This kind of situation is now regular in Rivers State,” said Chukwudi.
“At the moment, there are too many guns and dangerous weapons in the South-South, particularly in Rivers. With the volume of arms proliferation in the region you are tempted to conclude that the FG amnesty programme was not a success. Otherwise, how do you explain the volume of weapons out there that these youths now use to unleash violence? I think the time has come for the FG to renegotiate the amnesty deal. Since the ex-militants are still on government’s payroll, they should assist to mob out more weapons,” he added.
But Gideon Wokocha, traditional/paramount ruler of Okposi Community, told BDSUNDAY in his palace that while the arms not returned by the ex-militants during the amnesty declaration were still very much in circulation, a larger percentage of arms being used to unleash terror in Rivers State at the moment were being acquired with monies made by the cultists from kidnapping.
“One of Rotimi Amaechi’s commissioners when he was governor of the state was kidnapped and a ransom of N100 million paid to secure his release. You can imagine the kind of weapons the cultists can acquire with N100 million! They get money to acquire more arms with the huge money paid to release captives,” Wokocha said.
According to him, saying that over 90 percent of youths in Rivers State are members of one cult group or the other would not be an exaggeration, adding that the situation could further deteriorate if steps are not taken to urgently address the increase in youth cultism.
He also accused the Rivers State Police Command of adopting obsolete crime-fighting method which gives the impression that they are not really interested in arresting criminals, while also debunking claims by police officials that the affected residents were not providing useful information.
“The people committing these crimes are our own people in our midst. When crime is taking place and you call the police they will give all sorts of excuse. The other day I called a DPO to report what was happening and needed to urgent attention because the cultists were still around, but he told me he was on his way to Port Harcourt. Even when the police show up they come blowing siren and you start wondering if they really intended to arrest anybody, because these cultists will not wait once they hear sirens. Once the policemen are gone the cultists return to commit worse crimes by killing residents they suspect called the police. We are really helpless now in Rivers State,” he alleged.
BDSUNDAY independent investigations revealed that the paramount ruler’s position regarding the police’s approach to handling crimes in these communities may be true as the police are alleged to fear close-range shootout with the cultists who not only possess better weapons but are also armed with local charms which supposedly render them immune to bullets.
It was also learnt that even soldiers are not immune to this phobia as previous battle experiences with cult gangs had resulted in the death of security personnel while the cultists have grown stronger and sometimes take the battle to the soldiers without any show of fear.
When contacted, Ahmed Muhammad, Rivers State Police Command spokesperson, said, “I am not interested to speak on the matter. Call me in the next two hours.” As at the time of filing in this report, he had yet to take several calls to him.
NATHANIEL AKHIGBE
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