Bassey Anthony, Uyo
THE Akwa Ibom State government has concluded plans to establish two rehabilitation centres for 462 repentant militants.
The Chairman of Ukanafun Local Government Area, Mr. Uko Idiong disclosed this on Tuesday in Uyo during an interview with journalists.
According to Idiong, the repentant militants, drawn from Ukanafun and Etim Ekpo council areas, would be trained in various skills, including shoe making, tailoring, welding and fabrication, carpentry and other petty trades.
He said they will be trained at the Government Technical School, Ikot Adaidem in Ibiono Ibom Local Government, and Government Technical School, Ikot Akata in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area.
The council chairman explained that government decided on the move as part of the amnesty it granted to the ex-agitators who had terrorized, killed, kidnapped and destroyed properties in Ukanafun and Etim Ekpo local government areas.
The two councils were under siege by the militants for about two years (2017-2019), leading to the displacement of over 2,000 local residents, who fled to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Iwukem and other far-flung places in Uyo, Abak and Ikot Ekpene.
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Governor Udom Emmanuel granted them amnesty in early 2019, urging the ex-militants to “come out from the bush, drop your arms for your sins to be forgiven”.
The amnesty deal supervised by the then Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state, Mr. Samuel Ogunjemilusi and other heads of security agencies, according to the Ukanafun Council Chair, has aided the return of peace in the troubled areas with the displaced persons returning to salvage what was left of their properties including farming.
“We are witnessing the return of peace and everybody displaced by the incidents are back,” he said, but expressed worry that pockets of crime and criminalities were still being perpetrated by the idle ex-militants which he explained, was the major reason for the proposed rehabilitation camps.
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