Lagos/Warri/Asaba — Seven days to the deadline for militants to drop their arms and accept amnesty, Abuja at the weekend warned that none would be treated with mercy after October 4.
Defence Minister and Amnesty Panel Chairman, Godwin Abbe, has reportedly foreclosed extending the deadline, as requested by some militant leaders.
A source in Aso Rock said unrepentant militants would be treated like criminals once the amnesty expires.
"Although some high ranking militants like Tompolo have called for extension, the government has for the umpteenth time dashed the hope for extension, and all is set to deal with any militant after October 4," the source disclosed.
In any case, the government has exceeded its target on the number of militants turning themselves in.
When President Umaru Yar'Adua proclaimed the amnesty on June 25, government officials said that they expected between 8,000 and 10,000 militants to accept it.
But investigation showed that between 12,000 and 15,000 militants have handed in their weapons.
The government has topped its readiness to terminate militancy by deploying in the Niger Delta intelligence planes, warships and helicopter gunships to match attacks by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
The MEND, the main militant group in Nigeria, had threatened to resume offensive on oil platforms from September 15, but later extended the date to October 15, "for the Federal Government to meet our target."
It also emerged at the weekend that the fear for his life is the key reason militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo (Tomopolo) is yet to embrace the amnesty offer.
Abbe recently visited Okporoza to persuade him to turn in his arms and ammunition, where Tompolo canvassed a three-months' extension to enable interest groups reach a compromise.
Sources said he is worried that the government may not guarantee his safety if he decides to surrender his weapons.
Among the demands put forward by him are the creation of more states and councils for the Ijaw, opening up of the oil and gas industry to allow for indigenous participation, and allocation of oil blocks to oil bearing communities.
However, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has also implored all communities, persons or groups still holding arms to surrender them by October 4, as there would be no going back on the deadline.
He told journalists in Warri that, "Yar'Adua is not extending the date by one day. It is a Presidential proclamation, it is publicly signed, and the date is in the proclamation, so it is in the interest of those still having arms to bring them out."
He said the surrender of arms is not targeted at any particular community or ethnic group, explaining that all communities, groups or persons who have arms should give them up now that there is still time to do so.
Uduaghan reiterated that the military is prepared to comb the creeks for arms at the expiration of the amnesty.
"Let me appeal to every Deltan, no matter the ethnic group you belong to, this is your opportunity to surrender your arms and you will be covered under the amnesty.
"If you have the guns in your farm, inside water, or buried anywhere, if it is a community gun, individual gun or cult group, you should bring it out because after October 4, the military has prepared to go for the arms wherever they are."
He added that the arms could be surrendered quietly, away from the media, and commended communities that have given up their arms as well as those planning to do so.
Uduaghan also spoke on the issue at a thanksgiving service for the 49th anniversary of Nigeria's independence held at the Church of St. Peter Anglican Cathedral in Asaba.
"Please, lay down your arms because after the expiration on October 4, the Federal Government will not tolerate militancy any longer," he stressed.
"The state government (will also) strengthen its information network to track down robbers and other criminal elements. We will be going to houses and hotels to fish out armed robbers; so if you are a landlord, you must know your tenants.
"If we arrest an armed robber in your house or hotel, it means you have questions to answer before the security agents."
The Primate Elect of the Anglican Communion, Nicholas Okoh, told the congregation that unless those at the helm of affairs change their attitude, have the fear of God, shun thuggery, snatching of ballot boxes, assassinations, treasury looting, Nigeria would remain backward, "even if it celebrates 1,000 years anniversary."
However, One reason the MEND does not trust Yar'Adua is that the government has recently been buying hundreds of millions of Dollars worth of sophisticated weaponry and military hardware in preparation for a new offensive in the Deep South.
Director of the African Security Research Project in Washington, Daniel Volman, confirmed on September 14 that Israeli and Russian instructors have been "providing specialised training to Nigerian Navy and Air Force sailors and pilots on how to operate the ships and helicopters over the past few months, and some of these instructors may help operate them during the offensive."
He said the arms stockpile "includes deals worth $25 million for two 24.8-metre Shaldag MK-2 patrol boats from the Israeli firm, Israel Shipyards - one has already been delivered and the other is on its way - and another deal involves air and sea drones from Aeronautica Ventures, another Israeli company.
"Shaldag MK-20 patrol boats are generally armed with artillery guns and machine guns. Eighty Nigerian sailors are presently being trained in counterinsurgency operations at the northern Israeli port of Haifa.
Volman also disclosed that Nigeria recently bought a surveillance system that uses Aerostar unmanned drones and Seastar vessels produced by Israel's Aeronautics Defense Systems/Aeronautics Ventures - and 20 troop-carrying catamarans from the Dutch firm, TP Marine, to transport soldiers up the creeks and small rivers.
The Navy, according to him, also recently took delivery of two 38-metre Manta-class patrol boats built by the Nautica Nova Shipbuilding yard in Malaysia.
"These ships were officially commissioned on April 12. Four additional 17-metre Manta-class patrol boats have also been delivered to Nigeria from Singapore Technologies Marine.
"The Nigerian Navy also recently procured 35 new machine gun-equipped fast patrol boats in a deal paid for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), reportedly on the instructions of Yar'Adua.
"The Nigerian Air Force has received at least 15 Mi-24, Mi-34, and Mi-35 helicopter gunships and troop transport helicopters from Russia. Some of these were reportedly delivered just before President Dimitri Medvedev's visit to Nigeria in June.
"These helicopters are armed with Gatling guns, machine guns, bombs, rocket launchers, and rockets, and can also carry up to eight soldiers at the same time.
"Russian instructors are currently in Nigeria training Nigerian pilots how to operate these helicopters. The training is reportedly not going very well, raising speculation that the government may ask the Russian instructors to operate the helicopter gunships during the impending military offensive.
"These helicopter gunships were used extensively by the Soviet Union during its invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, and have been used more recently for counterinsurgency operations by the governments of Sierra Leone, Guinea, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Chad."
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