Militants hold Delta dep gov, Utuama, hostage

Some aggrieved youths in Delta state on Tuesday held Amos Utuama, a professor and the deputy governor of the state, hostage.

The youths are among the beneficiaries of the amnesty programme initiated by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to end years of restiveness in the Niger Delta.

The programme afforded the restive youths academic scholarships and vocational training within and outside the country, in addition to monthly stipends.

Last Monday, some of the youths took to the streets to protest the alleged failure of the amnesty office in Abuja to pay their allowances.

They shut down the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) facility situated at Warri/Sapele Road and also barricaded the east-west road in Warri, paralysing all activities in the area.

The demonstration continued on Tuesday but took a new dimension when the youths got the hint that Utama was in the Warri annex of the government house.

They stormed the place in annoyance and held Utama, who was about leaving after rounding off his engagement, hostage for several hours.

Security personnel deployed to the scene could not bring the situation under control, as the youths were ready to engage them in a battle.

Before he eventually took his leave, the protesters demanded that the state government augments the stipends they receive from the federal government.

Augustine Ogendegbe, the speaker, amnesty phase two, who led the protest, said they resorted to such action to make government alive to its obligation towards them.

“Enough is enough. We have done our best to make government see reason with ex-militants but no result,” he said.

“We have written so many memos to the stakeholders on the issue, yet no response. Since they refused to listen, we got tired.

“They know that we need empowerment. Since we laid down our arms, we have been working with the security agents by giving useful information regarding criminal activities in the Niger Delta region but still they don’t appreciate us.”

Augustine Avwode, the press secretary to the deputy governor, condemned the action of the youths, saying they were becoming reclacitrant ahead of the 2015 elections.

Government Ekpemupolo, a former commander of Movement for The Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), has been in the news recently over his involvement in major political developments in the state.