MEND leader, Henry Oka

By Ndubuisi Francis     
The Presidential Amnesty Office has expressed readiness to subject its activities to scrutiny by the National Assembly, affirming, however, that last Saturday’s attack by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) on facilities belonging to oil major, Agip, in Bayelsa State has no link with the performance of the Amnesty Programme.

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chief Executive Officer of the Amnesty Office, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, disclosed this  in Abuja yesterday, against the backdrop of the move by the House of Representatives to probe the Programme following the MEND attack. He said he was worried that the mandate of the programme as enshrined in the Amnesty Proclamation had been completely misconstrued.

Kuku, who also called for fair trial for MEND leader, Henry Oka, flawed positions in some quarters that the Amnesty Office would have prevented the attack on Agip facilities, saying it is neither a security agency nor has the power, competence or wherewithal to stop any person who willfully decides to commit crime in the Niger Delta.

“We neither have guns nor ammunition. We do not even have handcuffs here. The soldiers and security operatives you see here or in any of our outposts were posted  to guard us and our equipment. In fact, the Presidential Amnesty Programme does not have a security component at all. Our mandate is very clear: Disarm, Rehabilitate and Reintegrate the 26, 358 former Niger Delta agitators who accepted the offer of amnesty in two phases before the deadline given by the Federal Government.

“Don’t attach the attack to the Amnesty Programme. We’re never involved. We reject the blame, but we are open to any form of investigation on our activities,” stressing that the Amnesty Office cannot be an alternative to security agencies.

He stated that since the MEND attack, the Joint Task Force (JTF) had demonstrated the capacity to checkmate the activities of the group and had not left anyone in doubt that it is on top of the game by publishing the names and declaring the masterminds of the attack wanted.

Kuku said while carrying out its primary mandate, the Amnesty Office was also effectively collaborating with security agencies in the Niger Delta to deal with security breaches, adding that rather than looking at the direction of the Amnesty Office as likely culprit in the attack on Agip facilities, locals engaged by the Federal Government to secure oil and gas pipelines should be held responsible.
According to him, the full demobilisation of the 26,353 ex-militants enrolled in the first and second phases of the programme underscored its success and placed Nigeria as one of the few countries in the world history, to achieve a successful conclusion of the Disarmament and Demobilisation of its DDR (Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration) scheme.

While commending the House of Representatives for showing concern on the resurgence of violence in the Niger Delta as demonstrated by the MEND attack on Agip, Kuku said the lawmakers’ action may have been borne out of a genuine national concern.

On whether those responsible for the Agip attack were MEND elements, Kuku said he would not align with some positions that there is no more MEND, adding that rather than rush into hasty conclusions that MEND is a phantom group, there should be thorough investigation to establish the facts.

According to him, while the major actors in the agitation may have turned in their arms and embraced the Amnesty Programme, it was possible for pockets of former combatants to regroup and indulge in violent activities.

He noted that virtually all the former MEND leaders, including Ateke Tom, Tompolo, Fara Dagogo, and Boy Loaf among others, are currently working harmoniously with the Amnesty Office to ensure the success of the programme.

While calling for fair trial for the former MEND leader, Henry Okah currently undergoing trial in South Africa for the October 1, 2010 bombing in Abuja, Kuku said a fair trail for him was necessary as doing otherwise might have some negative backlash in the Niger Delta.

According to him, Okah was the first leader of the former ex-combatants to surrender his arms and embrace the Amnesty Programme, noting that he would have loved to witness his trial if he (Kuku) had his way.
On the possibility of enrolling more ex-militants in the programme, Kuku said that was beyond him as the President has the power to do so.