Stretching Amnesty To Absurd Limits

The Abia State government last week Monday pronounced amnesty for all common criminals, among them kidnappers, armed robbers, and all other underground anti-social elements. Apparently, trailing the federal government’s path after a long armed confrontation with Niger Delta militants, the Theodore Orji administration last week urged miscreants to submit their arms within 14 days in exchange for an opportunity to live a normal life.

Although details of the package still remains foggy, we do hold that pardon for repentant felons, anywhere in the world is nothing new but the Abia State example of pampering unknown common criminals raises more questions than the problem of a running siege which it seeks to solve.

For instance, what informed amnesty for criminals like armed robbers and kidnappers?  What pre and or post-amnesty plan has been put in place?  What do the criminals stand to gain from the Abia offer, as distinct from the federal government’s package for Niger Delta militants?

We ask because the federal government’s decision followed a lingering civil protest against the systematic neglect of the oil rich Niger Delta.  For this, in over three decades, opinion leaders, pressure groups, elected political representatives, civil society groups, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and indeed several proactive youth bodies repeatedly protested the poor state of affairs and daily  called for a review of the derivation formula.  When that yielded no tangible fruits, the people, at some point demanded for fiscal Federalism which was roundly misinterpreted to be total resource control.

When all attempts to engage the federal government in civilized dialogue failed, youths in the region met at Kaiama, Bayelsa State about a decade ago where, they spelt out the needs, hopes and fears of the peoples of the oil rich Niger Delta and which produced what became known as the Kiama Declaration, a document that gave birth to the second phase of the struggle which was to include armed resistance if need be, but even before actual take-off, the new agenda attracted the ire of the Federal Government resulting in the roundly condemned Odi massacre in the early days of the Obasanjo Presidency.

The ensuing armed militancy against the federal government became protracted and was so debilitating that Nigeria’s foreign earnings were hampered, oil producing companies forced to close shop in some areas, and expatriates virtually scared off the region.

It was to check that steady drift that the federal government, which had originally engaged the Niger Delta militants with a Joint Military Task Force of the Army, Air Force, Navy and other para-military corps, later had a re-think and agreed that the struggle of the militants deserved positive re-appraisal.

That consideration, informed, among other proactive measures, the Yar’Adua government’s decision to establish the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry, and the pronouncement of amnesty for all those who had taken up arms against the Nigerian nation.  To succeed, the federal government put in place a comprehensive amnesty package that included arms surrender, rehabilitation, re-integration, re-orientation and empowerment, all key elements that are absent in the Abia example.

The Tide is at a loss as to what the demands of the common criminals were that informed government’s amnesty option.  What is government planning for the criminals in exchange for their arms?  Another Arms By-back?

We ask because the chain effects and negative impact of the Obasanjo/Odili Arms for cash programme in Rivers State, rather than check armed militancy, emboldened some miscreants who, hiding under Niger Delta militancy later used the funds to enrich their lethal armoury.  In the end, the federal government inadvertently empowered supposed enemies of the state.  And it was with such advanced combat weapons acquired with public funds that some low-lives were able to engage the Joint Military Tasks Force, using gorilla ware fare.

This is why The Tide feels that plausible as the Abia State government’s intention maybe, the idea must be done away with because, not only does it lack the much desired moral backing, it inadvertently legitimizes criminality and may encourage many other youths to consider same felonous path for quick recognition.

Besides, since the criminals have made no known ideological direction or justification for their criminal choices except that of greed, laziness and the desire for quick wealth, the Abia government should use available funds to equip the police and other security forces to help check crime in the state and punish convicts according to law.

To do otherwise and move forward to buy-off arms from common criminals is to waste scarce resources on frivolities, except the state government has in place a pre- and post amnesty plan that will reintegrate such criminals into the civil society.

Even so, rather than contemplate such idea, the Abia government should invest in job creation initiatives, beef-up security, improve surveillance and involve the citizenry in the fight against crime.  Amnesty for unrepentant felons like armed robbers, rapists and kidnappers  in our view, is stretching state pardon to very ridiculous limits.