In view of the protest in Abuja today by persons said to be Niger Delta Ex-Militants who were excluded from the Presidential Amnesty Programme, it has become expedient to clarify as follows:

1. That in the bid to stem the ugly tide of militancy and general insecurity in the Niger Delta, Late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua proclaimed, on 25th June 2009, an unconditional amnesty for Militants in the Niger Delta who agree to lay down their arms and assemble at screening centres within 60 days for documentation. This offer of amnesty was unequivocally predicated on the willingness and readiness of the Militants to give up all illegal arms in their possession, completely renounce militancy in all its ramifications, and depose an undertaking to this effect.

2. As most Nigerians would recall, thousands of repentant militants operating in the Niger Delta enthusiastically accepted this offer of amnesty and turned in their arms and got documented on or before the October 4th 2009 earmarked deadline.

3. The Presidential Amnesty Committee then under the former Defense Minister, Major-Gen. Godwin Abbe (rtd), registered and properly documented 20,192 repentant Niger Delta Militants. It was on the basis of this number (20,192) that the Federal Government designed and budgeted for the on-going Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) component of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

4. Indeed, it gives me immense pleasure to aver here that the first batch of 2,000 repentant militants has successfully gone through non-violence transformational training in the Obubra Camp in Cross River State, and by the weekend, a battery of experts would have taken them through other programmes that are designed to prepare them for formal reintegration into the civil society.

5. Let it however be placed on record that the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Mr.Timi Alaibe, is aware that a number of militant groups who did not disarm during the amnesty period came forward and indicated interest to submit their weapons to security agencies and be included in the post-amnesty programme. Most of them cited reason of skepticism on the sincerity of the Federal Government to follow through the Amnesty Programme. However, having seen the documented ex-militants collecting steady monthly allowances and now being admitted into camp for transformational training and rehabilitation, they decided to come forward and submit their weapons. To this effect, many of them turned in their arms to the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) between December 31, 2009 and April 21, 2010. This agitation and the likely consequences were promptly brought to the attention of all the critical stake-holders in the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

6. In May 5, 2010, the JTF formally forwarded to the Federal Government documents that indicated that between December 31, 2009 and April 26, 2010, a number of militant groups in Bayelsa, Delta and Edo States submitted weapons of various caliber to the JTF and also submitted lists containing names they want documented and included in the post amnesty programme. Do kindly note however, that the decision to include these fresh names in the Federal Government’s list of documented ex-militants is not within the powers of the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta.

7. Against this background, it was decided that a representation be made to His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, for a fresh documentation and inclusion of genuine agitators. Indeed once a waiver is secured from Mr. President, the agitators would be screened and properly documented and promptly included in the post amnesty programme.

8. The agitators are however advised to remain calm and await the outcome of the representation to the President on their behalf by the Special Adviser on Niger Delta
9. Again let me emphasis that the protest in Abuja today had absolutely nothing to do with the on-going transformational programme for the Niger Delta Ex-Militants in Obubra, Cross River State.

Thank you.
Henry Ugbolue
For Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta,  Mr.Timi Alaibe