Rivers govt says amnesty programme not failure

Mr Ken Chindah, the Head, Rivers Amnesty Programme, says the state amnesty programme is a success and not the cause of the renewed violence in the state.

Chindah, who made the assertion in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday, dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the programme was a failure.

The state chapter of the Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO) recently blamed the renewed violence in some parts of the state on the failure of the state amnesty programme.

Chindah said that the Nyesom Wike-led government did well by removing arms from private hands and granting them state pardon.

He said that the programme was still in progress and assured that the government was poised to ensure effective implementation.

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“In many parts of the state, people have called us to commend the government for undertaking the amnesty programme.

“Residents of the state are happy that peace has returned following the amnesty offer, it is worrisome why people will describe it as a failure,’’ he said.

He urged youths in the state to support the law enforcement agencies to ensure the enthronement of lasting peace in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some parts of the state including Port Harcourt city have been witnessing renewed criminal attacks in the past few months.