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Sen. Omo-Agege advises FG not to scrap amnesty programme
Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege (APC-Delta), has called on the Federal Government to shelve alleged plans to scarp the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), for ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region.

He also advised people of the Niger Delta region to come up with a new narrative on holding leaders in the region to account on utilisation of funds accrued to the region.
A statement on Sunday in Abuja, by Yomi Odunuga, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, indicated that Omo-Agege spoke at the weekend, when he played host to a socio-political organisation, New Era Forum.
Omo Agege, who described the alleged plan as premature and ill-timed, noted that the scraping would truncate the fragile peace in the region.
“In recent times, there has been a debate for either the scrapping or retention of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, introduced by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2009 for Niger Delta militants, who had engaged in armed struggle for a better deal in the oil-rich region.
“I don’t think that the timing is right for the Amnesty Programme to be scrapped.
“We have challenges right now in the North East, the ravages of Boko Haram, banditry in North West and North Central.
“Those are enough challenges already in this country. I don’t believe that this is the time to reawaken the agitations of militancy in the Niger Delta region.
“It is my hope and expectation that the policy makers, who are around Mr President, will convey this to Mr President that to the extent that there is any such plan at this time.
“It is premature and ill-timed.
“That is not to say that this programme must stay in perpetuity, but we don’t believe that the goals set have been completely achieved,” he said.
He urged the group to come up with a new narrative about holding leaders in the region to account.
According to him, leaders in the region have failed, having been unable to judiciously utilise funds released for the development of the region.
“I have been privy to all of the budgetary estimates that were passed both in the Eighth Assembly and in the Ninth Assembly. And all that we are entitled to as a region has been given to us.
“But we have failed Mr President because we have not been able to hold to account those to whom these resources have been entrusted.
“You don’t expect Mr President moving from community to community to ensure that the funds made available to us have been judiciously utilised,” he said.
He stated that it is up to the people of the region who cried out to insist that interventionist agencies like NDDC be created and properly funded to perform well.
“It is left for us to ask questions that to the extent that the funds have been released to us how have these been utilised?
“It is left for us to ensure we identify the projects that we believe will best meet the needs of our people.
“It is not in Mr President’s place to come to my community to tell me what project should be sited in my community to alleviate the challenges we face as a result of environmental degradation and oil exploration.
“It is in the place of my community to come to Mr President through these agencies to say this is our priority.
“And having provided those funds, it is left for us to get back to Mr President either through the National Assembly or the security agencies to say these are the projects that were provided in our communities, but not implemented.
“So Mr President has done his part, we are the ones that have failed our people,” he stated.
Earlier, leader of the group, Sunday Onyewonsa, called for a security summit that would fashion out solutions to challenges facing the region.
He also stressed the need to declare a state of emergency on Niger Delta roads.
Onyewonsa called on the Deputy President of the Senate to prevail on the Federal Government to drop the planned scrapping of the Amnesty Programme.
He added that it should be overhauled to run through to the end of the present administration. (NAN)
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Kwara: Security Team Kills Two Bandits, Rescues Two Kidnap Victims
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A security team, comprising operatives of DSS and forest guards, has rescued two victims of abduction in a forest between Oba Isin/Owa Onire area of isin and Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
The rescued victims are 16-year-old Fatima Azeez and Ibrahim Azeez who is five-year old.
The team also eliminated two armed bandits, while others escaped with severe injuries as the security forces stormed their hideouts, according to a report by DSS and local authorities.
The security team also recovered several items from the kidnappers, including one Ak-47 rifle; one single barrel; one fully loaded magazine with nine empty; mini-solar panel; and food items.
The rescue operation is connected to the multi-agency counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping efforts of the government.
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Kwara: Police Launch Investigations Into Killing Of Farmer On Farmland
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara State Police Command has commenced full-scale investigations into the killing of a farmer, Mr Azeez Garba, whose body was discovered on his farmland along the Owa-Onire axis, the boundary between Isanlu-Isin and Owu-Isin in Isin Local Government Area of the State.
The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, described the murder as “cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” and directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to intensify efforts to identify and arrest those behind the attack.
According to the police, preliminary investigations showed that the deceased left home for his farm in the morning but did not return, prompting his family members and local vigilantes to organise a search.
The search party reportedly found his motorcycle parked on the farmland before discovering his lifeless body a short distance away. Police said the victim had sustained deep machete cuts.
Reacting to the incident, CP Adekimi ordered investigators to deploy all available intelligence and investigative resources to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“The killing is cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” the commissioner of Police said, assuring residents that the command would leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Although no suspect had been arrested as of Monday, the command said all available leads were being diligently pursued.
The police also assured the bereaved family, the people of Isin Local Government Area and the general public that investigators were working tirelessly to track down everyone connected with the crime.
“The Kwara State Police Command remains unwavering in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state and will not relent until every person responsible for this reprehensible act is brought before the law,” the statement added.
The statement was signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.
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Kwara: Joint Security Team Arrests Alleged Cultist, Recovers Firearm
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A coordinated security operation involving the Kwara State Police Command, other security agencies and the Kwara State Polytechnic Security Unit has led to the arrest of a suspected cultist, Agboola Olamilekan, with a locally fabricated pistol recovered from him in Ilorin.
The operation, carried out as part of ongoing efforts to combat cultism and violent crimes across the state, was described by the police as another breakthrough in intelligence-driven policing aimed at dismantling criminal networks and reducing the circulation of illegal firearms.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in a statement issued on Wednesday on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, said the suspect was apprehended during the joint operation while in possession of the firearm.
According to the statement, the operation is part of the Command’s sustained strategy to disrupt cult-related activities and deny criminal elements the opportunity to operate within the state.
Commenting on the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to intensify the fight against cultism and other violent crimes.
“Every successful operation represents another step towards dismantling criminal networks and enhancing public safety across the state through proactive and intelligence-led policing,” the commissioner said.
The police disclosed that investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest other suspected members of the criminal network linked to the suspect.
The Command added that it remains committed to advancing the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, through intelligence-led policing, strategic collaboration with relevant stakeholders and sustained operations aimed at ensuring that those responsible for threatening the peace and security of Kwara State are brought to justice.
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