BY Taiwo George
Four militants were killed during exchange of gunfire with men of the joint task force (JTF) in Oporoma village in southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa state late Friday.
The incident affected election in the area, as sporadic shootings continued throughout the night until accreditation commenced on Saturday.
Speaking with TheCable, a witness accused a popular ex-militant he identified as Ogunboss of leading his men to hijack electoral materials.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan expressed displeasure over the incident, saying the era of militancy ought to have been over.
“I don’t like the word militant or ex-militant. With amnesty, we have passed that phase and we expect youths to conduct themselves properly,” he said.
“If ex-militants were killed, what were they doing? Were they carrying weapons?
“The days of militancy, by my thinking, should be over. That is why when I was the vice-president to the late President Yar Adua, we came up the amnesty programme.
“The idea is to pass through a phase, that most of the young men who surrendered their weapons should pass through a form of re-orientation; some were even sent outside the country for various training, some were encouraged to go into business and they are doing well. So, this issue of militancy should have been a part of history.”
But the police denied the report of the killings, saying only one person sustained injury in Southern Ijaw.
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