Rivers’ cult gangs surrender arms to government

Arrested cultists

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Some repentant cultists and criminal gangs have surrendered their arms and ammunition to the Rivers State Amnesty Committee.

Members of two cult groups, Degbam Avengers and Iceland Confraternity publicly surrendered their arms and ammunition and accepted the state government’s amnesty offer.

Chairman of the Amnesty Committee and Special Adviser to the Governor on Amnesty, Mr. Ken Chinda commended the youths for embracing the amnesty and warned them never to return to crime.

He assured them of employment and empowerment by the government.

“Under the amnesty scheme, those of you who have skills and those who don’t have will have the opportunity to be trained and to those of you who are graduates will be gainfully employed”.

He also stated that embracing the amnesty will afford them the opportunity to be reintegrated back into the society.

Paramount Ruler of Omofo, one of the communities in Rundele, Edison Omeodu, commended the state government for introducing the amnesty scheme, saying that it will go a long way in eradicating crime in the state.

He said that the decision of the youths to embrace the amnesty marks the return of peace and a step forward for the community. Eze Omeodu regretted that the community has for months, lived in great fear which resulted to the area being tagged as flash point of violence as all manner of crime are perpetrated there.

The traditional ruler advised the state government to ensure that its promises to the repentant youths in the state were kept.

Some of the repentant cultists thanked the state government for making them free citizens once again and pleaded with the community for forgiveness, promising never to terrorize the area or take to crime again.