By Francis Sadhere
FOREMOST NGO in the Niger Delta Region, Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) has cautioned State Governors in the country not to abuse granting of Amnesty to criminals.
National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Comrade Sheriff Mulade in a press statement in Warri, Delta State, described as worrisome the indiscriminate granting of Amnesty to notorious criminals by State Governors in the guise of repentant militants.
According to him; “We want to strongly advise our State Governors to be extremely careful so as not to abuse pardoning or granting Amnesty to renowned cultists, political thugs and notorious criminals.”
The CEPEJ boss added that; “These cultists, political thugs and notorious criminals were technically empowered by our corrupt political leaders for their selfish interests and now they are granting them Amnesty indiscriminately. This is dangerous”.
Comrade Mulade said that genuine agitators must be separated from Criminals, saying that;” “We cannot know peace in the country when State Governors are now encouraging Criminality by granting Amnesty to their used cultists, political thugs and notorious criminals”.
“A situation where criminals used by State Governors to achieve their political goals are now being pardoned and given Amnesty is not good enough for our society because we are encouraging Criminality. These State Governors must find another way of empowering the Criminals they have used to get into power rather than abusing the Amnesty,” he said.
Comrade Mulade warned that Kidnappings, armed robbery, vandalisation of oil facilities and other crimes would increase if care is not taken as a result of the abuse of Amnesty by the State Governors, adding that; “Our youths will be tempted to go into crime because they will have it at the back of their minds that at the end of the day, they will be asked to surrender their arms and granted Amnesty by our State Governors.”
He said that; “Criminals must be punished for their crimes against the society if we must have a crime free society, but a situation where Criminals are celebrated in our Government Houses in the name of surrendering arms and granted Amnesty is worrisome and must be checked”.
