Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) of Imo State extraction, who had hitherto held the state through pipeline vandalism , on Wednesday, stormed the Government House, Owerri, in trucks, where they surrendered their arms and ammunition, to Governor Rochas Okorocha and all security chiefs in the state.
The ex-militants stormed Owerri, at mid-day, with white T-shirts, bearing the inspiration “Disarmament of agitators powered by the Niger Delta Youths Volunteer Peace Advocacy, condemned oil companies operating in the area for their insensitivity to the plight of the people.
In the presence of top security agencies comprising the police, army, DSS and the deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Okorocha, who is the chairman of the disarmament committee and an indigene of the Ohaji Egbema council area, Kingsley Uju, who had earlier received the ex-militants, said that the ceremony was in response to the mandate given to his committee by Governor Okorocha to solve the problem of youths restiveness in oil bearing Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta Local Government areas of the state.
Uju lamented that since 1953 when oil firms commenced operations in the area, they had failed to address the yearnings and aspirations of the indigenes, hence, the frequent outburst of youths restiveness.
The youth, who later spoke through their respective leaders, accused the multi-national companies of neglecting them and urged the Federal Government as well as the state to prevail on the oil companies to urgently address their grievances and called for the release of their members in detention.
Governor Okorocha, after receiving the surrendered arms and ammunitions, commended them for their rare display of patriotism and assured that security agencies would no longer invade their areas adding that, their demands, grievances and agitations would be addressed soon.
