Niger Delta Bakassi Strike Force surrenders arms to military
A Niger Delta militant group, Bakassi Strike Force (BSF), has surrendered part of its arms to show its desire to lay down their arms if the Federal Government addressed their concerns.
Lt.-Col. Olaolu Daudu, the
spokesman of Joint Military Force in the Niger Delta confirmed the
development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Yenagoa.
Daudu
said that the terms of the surrender were being worked out by Cross
River Command of Department of State Security Services and Cross River
government.
He
said that the militant group had turned in one General Purpose Machine
Gun (GPMG) and an AK 47 rifle as a show of good faith towards the peace
deal.
“Available information from
Sector 4 in Cross River State indicates that Bakassi Strike Force (BSF)
militants led by one Mr Benjamin Ene have expressed unreserved
willingness to lay down their arms.
“They
have contacted the Department of State Service in Cross River State
through the State Government’s appointed rappoteur on amnesty to signify
their readiness to hold talks on amnesty with the relevant authorities.
“To buttress this demonstration of goodwill, BSF turned in one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) and an AK 47 rifle.
“The
Department of State Service representatives and representatives of the
rappoteur have since recovered the arms as talks are ongoing on
modalities to surrender their remaining arms,” Daudu said.
It
will be recalled that the leader of the group, Mr Benjamin Ene, aka
‘Humble Lion G1’ had on Nov. 1 expressed the desire to surrender in a
telephone interview with NAN in Yenagoa.
Ene
said that the group was not out to vandalise national assets but for
the well-being of his people who resided in Bakassi, now ceded to
Cameroon.
The leader, who spoke from his
camp in the creeks of southern Cross River, said that unlike other
militant groups, it had no record of oil installation destruction or
molestation of the citizens.
Daudu said
that the Acting Commander the Joint Military Force deployed to the Niger
Delta, Operation Delta Safe, Brig.-Gen Kevin Aligbe had applauded the
move by the militant group to surrender and embrace peace.
Aligbe
maintained that the military has zero tolerance for militancy and
related crimes in the Joint Operations Area and urged other aggrieved
groups to emulate the BSF by laying down their arms.
According
Daudu, the Commander advised the other Niger Delta militants groups to
embrace the reconciliatory channels open at both state and federal
levels.
The spokesman also said that
troops of Sector 3, following a tip off, on Wednesday swiftly reacted
and swooped on suspected sea robbers around Kumfari Community near Idama
in Rivers State.
During the encounter
one suspected sea robber was killed, two were wounded and seven others
apprehended while one locally made pistol and machete were recovered.
He said that the suspects were undergoing further investigation.
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