Return Our Arms - Niger Delta Ex-militants To FG.

Ex-Militants Issue FG ultimatum to return
arms.
Hundreds of Niger Delta ex-militants in
Bomadi, Delta State on Thursday gave the
Federal Government a 10-day ultimatum to
return the arms taken from them.
The ex-militants stated that after several
peaceful efforts to make the government
see reasons why they should be included its
the amnesty programme had failed, they
were left with no option but to return to the
creeks.
They accused the government through the
Joint Military Task Force of deceiving them
into submitting their arms, adding that
several efforts to ''negotiate'' with the
Niger Delta Ministry had been fruitless.
While addressing the media, the ex-
militants led by 'General' Para Ekiyes,
Chairman of the state branch of the
amnesty phase three displayed various
certificates issued them by the army
during their disarmament. They had at
different times barricaded the busy East-
West road linking the South-West with
Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River and Imo states to
draw government's attention to their plight.
But the Special Adviser to the President on
Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, had at various
times said their protests were illegitimate,
adding that they embraced the amnesty
programme after the window had closed.
The ex-militants, who observed a one-
minute silence in honour of the Late
President Musa Yar'Adua, also demanded
the immediate exit of all oil companies
operating in the Niger Delta within 10 days
or face the "consequences."
They said, "President Goodluck Jonathan and
Kinsley Kuku know what we can do because
they are from here. We were with Kuku in
the creeks during the heady days of
militancy. He knows what we can do."