Niger Delta
Militants Rampage Over Non-payment Of Allowance, … Threaten Attack
About 200 former militants, on Friday, took to the streets of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, protesting over non-payment of allowance as agreed by the Federal Government in the amnesty deal with them.
The protest paralysed social and commercial activities in the city while it lasted.
A mobile policeman escaped being lynched after he was accused of firing gunshots into the air to scare the protesters.
It was gathered that the policeman would have been set ablaze, but for the timely intervention of soldiers attached to the Joint Military Task Force (JTF).
The protest, the third in the last one month, started around 6.00 a.m. The ‘repentant’ militants barricaded the only road leading to the city at Akenfa end of Yenagoa Local Government Area, thereby disrupting the traffic.
People were forced to stay indoors while social activities were suspended for the period the protest lasted.
The former militants, said to belong to various camps, accused governments at various levels of insensitivity.
According to them, since they were disarmed, the government had not kept its own side of the bargain, especially the payment of the N65,000 monthly allowance.
Some of the former militants, who spoke under condition of anonymity, claimed that the government was only taking care of their former leaders, forgetting about the followers.
“What they (the Federal Government) told us before we accepted the amnesty offer is not what we are experiencing now.
“They agreed to pay each of us N10 million disarmament allowance, but as I am talking to you now, we are yet to receive a dime,” said one of the militants.
With less than two weeks to the deadline of the disarmament programme, the aggrieved militants have threatened to go back to the creeks and launch a fresh offensive.
However, The Tide gathered that the delay in the payment of the allowance by the Federal Government Amnesty Implementation Committee was attributed to logistic problems.
The Tide learnt that the state chairman of the Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee, James Jephthah, has established a link with various commanders of former militant camps to ensure that there was no confrontation between the aggrieved former militants and security operatives.
“We had to intervene and link up with the militant leaders to prevail on the ‘boys’ to stay calm and allow the amnesty committee to resolve the existing bureaucratic difficulties.
“The agreement on the payment of allowances through the leaders still stand and it will not fail,” Jephthah said. As of the time of filing this report, security had been beefed up around the state capital while business and commercial activities had resumed.
Niger Delta
Tai Agric Sector Gets Emergency Attention …As Chairman Distributes Farm Inputs, Inaugurates Technical Team

The Chairman of Tai Local Government Council of Rivers State, Hon. Matthew Nenu Bari Dike has declared a state of emergency in the agriculture sector of Tai local government.
Speaking while distributing farm implements and other agricultural support packages to the farmers at the council’s headquarters in Saakpenwa, yesterday, Dike challenged farmers to show their farms before requesting for financial assistance.
The council boss stated that as a government, they were committed to putting smiles on the faces of the people and assured that his administration would ensure that every person in the local government is happy.
“As a government we want to assure you that, we will stop at nothing to ensure you all are empowered and living happily”.
According to him, “the gesture is aimed at enhancing food production and security through agriculture, and enjoined all lovers of agriculture in the local government area to identify with the quest to redefine development through agriculture in the local government.
He encouraged everyone to cultivate the passion and return to agriculture, to guarantee self-reliance, maximum food production and security in the area.
His administration, he said, would purchase more yam seedlings in order to get greater production to encourage exportation beyond the shores of Nigeria.
“A boost in yam production will also empower farmers in the Local Government Area”, the elated chairman said.
In a related development, the Chairman has inaugurated a five, member Agricultural Technical Committee for the Local Government Area.
The committee is made up of Pst. Anderson Wariboko, Barr. Paul Newman,, Smith Nyor-Ue, Gladys Jumbo and Dr Keke Rammyson
Also speaking, the Director of Agriculture, Tai Local Government Area, Mr Anderson Wariboko revealed that the event was part of activities to mark the chairman’s 100 days in office.
Wariboko who led the chairman, and other leaders of the council on the distribution of the farm inputs to the farmers, was full of praises for the chairman, Hon. Dike whom he said has the interest of the people at heart.
Kiadum Edookor
Niger Delta
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