Ex Militants Block East-West Road over delayed Payments

Movement of Vehicles on the East-West Road was yesterday, disrupted for hours as hundreds of aggrieved ex-militants from Bayelsa and Delta states barricaded the Mbiama-Yenagoa axis of the road in protest against the delayed payment of their five months stipends by the Federal Government.

The militants left travellers stranded for hours on the busy road. Vanguard gathered that the militants stormed the Mbiama-Yenagoa Junction on the road as early as 6a.m., with placards some if which read, “Buhari, pay us our stipends,” “Don’t politicize Niger Delta Amnesty,” “Boroh pay us our money,” among others. They chanted solidarity songs, calling on the Presidential Amnesty Office to pay them their outstanding five months stipends.

Armed soldiers and other security personnel were at the scene of the protest to forestall any breakdown of law and order. It however, took the intervention of the Commander of the special Joint Military outfit in the Niger Delta, codenamed ‘Operation Delta Safe’, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie for the ex agitators to dismantle the barricade for free flow of traffic.

Admiral Okojie urged the ex-militants to be patient with the authorities, assuring that their stipends would be paid to them. T