By Jesse Ese
National News – The Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Forum has alleged that some former militant leaders are sponsoring another protest against the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro, despite the failure of a similar demonstration earlier this month.
Speaking during a press briefing in Warri, Delta State, the convener of the forum, self-styled General Emma Satu, accused former militant leaders Victor Ebikabowei, popularly known as Boyloaf, and Bibopere Ajube, also known as Shoot-at-Sight, of orchestrating campaigns aimed at discrediting Otuaro and High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly called Tompolo.
According to Satu, the planned protest is being coordinated through one Charles Warmate from Rivers State, whom he alleged had been mobilised to recruit participants from several states across the Niger Delta region.
He claimed that the organisers had made arrangements for transportation, accommodation, feeding and branded materials for those expected to participate in the demonstration scheduled for June 22.
The forum leader alleged that a previous protest held on June 12 failed because genuine beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and recognised ex-agitators across the nine Niger Delta states rejected what he described as a sponsored action against the PAP administrator.
Satu claimed that those behind the planned protest were not motivated by concerns about the welfare of programme beneficiaries but by personal interests and dissatisfaction with the current leadership structure in the region.
He alleged that Boyloaf and Shoot-at-Sight had repeatedly targeted both Otuaro and Tompolo through protests and media campaigns because they believed key positions and opportunities within the region should be reserved for them.
He further questioned why the two former militant leaders, whom he described as members and beneficiaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), would allegedly continue to sponsor protests against officials appointed by President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, Otuaro and Tompolo are closely associated with the Federal Government and have been carrying out assignments aimed at promoting stability and development in the Niger Delta.
The group maintained that both leaders have contributed significantly to the region, particularly in the areas of security and economic stability.
He said, “As you all know, some stakeholders of the Niger Delta, specifically, some former militant leaders, the likes of Victor Ebikabowei Ben aka Boyloaf, and Bibopere Ajube aka Shoot-at-Sight have vowed that no Niger Delta leader will have peace, except them, and so they go about – deploying everything within their means to pull down other Niger Delta leaders, with special focus on Dr. Dennis Otuaro, the administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, and High Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo.”
“Now, our concern as members of the Niger Delta Ex-agitators Forum is this: both Boyloaf and Shoot-at-sight are chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who have been, and are currently enjoying and eating juicy meals from the APC. So, the question is: Why have they vowed to destabilize the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through endless protests against the Tinubu-led APC Government?”
“They say it must be them, and if not them, then nobody else will have it. That’s the reason behind these endless sponsored protests and media campaigns against Otuaro and Tompolo.”
“We want to call on President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the inspector general of police and all the service chiefs to be aware that Boyloaf and Shoot-at-sight are endlessly trying to provoke Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro and Tompolo to anger.”
“Even when Tompolo and Otuaro have decided to pay them deaf ears, Boyloaf and Shoot-at-sight are continuously crossing the line and pushing the Gbaramatu flank to anger, and if things continue like this, it will get to a point where both Otuaro and Tompolo will not be able to advice their followers to keep a blind eye to these unwarranted ill-treatments coming from Boyloaf and Shoot-at-sight.”
“Tompolo has paid his dues, and he’s not a small boy that can be moved by anybody. It is maturity that has made him and Otuaro to tolerate this nonsense from Boyloaf and Shoot-at-sight. They were once in power, but they were so greedy that they did not carry anybody along when they were at the corridors of the presidential amnesty office.”
“Today, we are seeing reforms and massive turnarounds in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, and in the security of oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta, courtesy of Tompolo and his Tantita Security Company.”
“We know how terrible it was for people in the region, how insecurity was the order of the day, before Tompolo stepped in. Otuaro has also done a great job since he took over, and we will not allow anybody to take us back to Egypt.”
“If they don’t want to support President Bola Tinubu, they should state it openly and not hide under the cover of salary increment in the PAP. Already, Boyloaf and Shoot-at-sight have said that they will not support the president if the pipeline surveillance contract was not taken from Tompolo and shared to them.”
“We heard it, and we got their message loud and clear. They should not come out through the back door to deceive unsuspecting members of the public.”
“And we want to state it clearly once again, the last protest on June 12 was unsuccessful because the genuine ex-agitators said no to any sponsored protest, and we want to assure them again that the planned protest in Mbiama will not work.”
“Otuaro is doing well. If he is not doing well, we will be the ones to protest, and not this pattern of bringing thieves and kidnappers who are not part of the system to protest against President Bola Tinubu under the cover of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.”
“We call on the security agencies to be on red alert because these people planning this protest are unknown to us. We do not know them or where they come from. The country is very fragile at this period, and so we will not allow anybody to bring people from where we don’t know – to come and hold any protest in Ijaw land. We say No to it.”
“We know what they are doing, they have vowed to crumble the federal government by hiding under the cover of Niger Delta Ex-agitators. They are doing this for their selfish gains, and it cannot happen,” he said.
