Ex-militants storm wedding of Jonathan’s brother, allege neglect by govt

Posted by admin Bayelsa, Latest Politics, Niger Delta, State News Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

ALTHOUGH they were stopped by a combined team of armed mobile policemen and men of the Joint Military Task Force, some aggrieved former militants in Bayelsa State used the wedding reception of President Goodluck Jonathan’s brother to make their plight public.

The demonstrators, who claimed to be the third batch that protested earlier in the week and allegedly burnt a van belonging to a Lagos-based newspaper, were reported to have attempted to take their grievances to the event to draw attention of the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, to their plight.

According to the aggrieved youths, they came to St. Peters’ Church, venue of the wedding to present their grievances to the President, who did not show up at the occasion.

While some of the repentant militants bore placards reading: “We want peace; We want inclusion in amnesty; Kuku, Jonathan give us our right,” chanted solidarity songs, others tried to hijack it with partisan coloration.

They sang songs against the alleged refusal of the President to forgive Governor Timipre Sylva and clear him for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in the state.

The plea of the armed policemen was ignored until the arrival of a team of soldiers, which changed the pattern of the protest. Though the soldiers did not apply any force against the youths, they told the demonstrators of the allegations that their protest was being sponsored to embarrass the President and the governor.

Head of the protesting group, Thomas Isaac, decried the plight of the agitators, alleging that their exclusion from the programme had subjected them to more hardship.

Isaac said the agitators were set to return to the creeks if their demands were not met by the government.

“We have voluntarily surrendered our arms to embrace peace in the Niger Delta region. Almost one year after the amnesty, nobody has called us. Every day we keep hearing that we are not militants that we only acquired arms to submit.

“This protest is a signal to the Federal Government that we can do anything. It was a peaceful one, we did it to tell President Goodluck Jonathan that we are no longer happy with him. Government has ignored our plight because of what some persons told them. They are waiting to see what we can do and we are ready for them. After this operation, we are going back to the creeks

-Guardianwp_posts