Toward Success Of Rivers Amnesty Scheme

Security, like peace is a priceless commodity, necessary for the growth and wellbeing
of any society. And where it is lacking, once warned Thomas Hobbes, society drifts to the Hobbesian state of nature where life itself becomes short and brutish. Anarchy is then, let loose, with its attendant near-frequent destruction of lives and property. The rule of the jungle becomes the order of the day rather than the rule of law.
It is to prevent such state of constant fear and unrest that the Governor Nyesom Wike-led Rivers Government recently offered cultists, kidnappers and even common criminals amnesty. It is indeed a rare opportunity for the young ones to shun criminality and be reintegrated into the civil society with boundless openings for a new and respectable life.
The Tide commends Governor Wike for this bold step which has already given birth to an Amnesty Committee to drive the programme. These actions of government, we believe are clear signals that the present administration is no longer prepared to treat with kid’s gloves the rash of insecurity which once ravaged some parts of the State. The committee, which was given 60 days to accomplish its assignment, has as Chairman, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Amnesty, Sir Ken Chinda while other members are drawn from the Army, Navy, Air Force, DSS and the Police.
Wike, while inaugurating the committee on Saturday, September 17, 2016 charged the members to interface with different groups for the purpose of retrieving arms from them, hinting that the State government would not pay for arms surrendered in the course of the amnesty programme.
Instead, he urged them to work out modalities for proper integration of the repentant cultists and militants who willingly subscribe to the programme, saying, “anyone who surrenders his arms and has followed through the process laid out for the amnesty will be pardoned and spared prosecution. Those who fail to do so, after the mandatory 60 days, Wike warned will face the full weight of the law. Already, the committee has recorded some success, as some affected youth have started responding positively.
In addition to the window of repentance given to cultists and militants, we commend Governor Wike for taking the bull by the horn, by personally leading security operatives to hideouts of other suspected kidnappers, cultists and common criminals and equally supervising the demolition of such dangerous dens and converting same to public use.
The action without doubt underscored the importance Governor Wike attaches to security and demonstrates true commitment towards addressing security breaches. The Governor’s personal participation truly explains the seriousness of government and should have hastened the repentance of some common criminals.
However, for the amnesty programme to serve its purpose, we call on the committee to be painstaking, patient but firm in handling individual cases. It is not often easy to effect attitudinal change among persons who must have sold their souls to the devil, hence, the need for the committee to be fatherly in approach.
Perhaps, they may also be put to proper use in the state government’s agriculture development scheme where they would be properly integrated in civil living. It should be done in such a way that they realise that crime truly does not pay.
The Tide calls on those still waiting to test government’s will to surrender their arms and identify with the amnesty programme quickly. That way, they too will know peace. The need for all Rivers people and residents to sleep with both eyes closed cannot be over-emphasised.
Beyond government’s effort, The Tide expects all people of goodwill, stakeholders and corporate organisations doing business in the State, to throw their weight behind this venture of fostering and promoting a well secure and conducive environment for all. That is key to sustaining development.
More importantly, Rivers people must at all times be vigilant and report suspicious characters to the appropriate quarters for prompt action. Threats to security we face near-frequently are not perpetrated by persons from outer space but fellow humans.
To ensure adequate security, therefore, all hands must be on deck as government and the police alone cannot achieve the desired peace that near-frequently eludes us. Encouraging our straying kith and kin in crime to embrace the amnesty package is another way of contributing our quota to State security.