About
2,000 cult members on Saturday embraced the amnesty declared by the Rivers
State Government.
The
cult members, who were involved in kidnappings, killings and armed robberies in
the past, surrendered their weapons before members of the state Amnesty
Committee in Isiokpo, the headquarters of Ikwerre Local Government Area of the
state.
Some
of the weapons surrendered by them included AK 47 rifles, G3, dane guns,
dynamite, NATO gun and detonators.
Speaking
shortly after receiving weapons from the repentant militants, the Chairman of
the Amnesty Committee, Mr. Ken Chinda, explained that peace was expected to
return to Ikwerre council area after the event.
Identifying
the cult groups as Iceland and Debam, Chinda charged them to not to go back to
crime, adding that the state government was sincere about helping them to
achieve their dreams.
Chinda
warned that soldiers would fish out militants that refused to accept the
amnesty declared by Governor Nyesom Wike.
He
also declared two of the cult leaders, Samuel Nkasiobi, aka Italian, and
Okechukwu Amadi, aka Gunboat as enemies of the state for refusing to accept
amnesty.
“We
are all witnesses to what some misguided youths have done in Ikwerre LGA where
people are predominantly farmers. Many could not farm because the militants are
living in the forest where their farms are located,” Chinda added.
He
urged them to shun acts capable of discouraging investors from doing business
in the state.
Earlier,
the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ikwerre LGA, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike,
explained that with the repentance of the cult members, farmers would be free
to work on their farms.
The
council chairman said the two cult leaders, who refused to accept the state
government’s amnesty, would be declared wanted after a week.
He
added that the sum of N10m would be paid to anybody that could give any
information on their whereabouts.
Source:The
Punch
Tags
Society