Scores of repentant militants in the oil-rich region of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have called on President Bola Tinubu to include them in the federal government’s amnesty programme.

The ex-agitators accused the federal government of not inculcating them in the programme since 2017 having surrendered their ammunition to embrace peace and dialogue.

Protesting on Thursday in Akure, the state capital, the ex-militants threatened to resume militancy in the area following their exclusion from the programme.

The aggrieved protesters, under the groups of United Sea-wolf Avengers, Awaja camp, Forest Soldiers, Big-fish camp, Ogoloto camp, Niger Delta Vanguard camp, Aluma camp, Ofaran camp and six others, lamented years of neglect since they stopped hostilities in the Ilaje LGA of the state.

Speaking on behalf of the ex-militants, Deji Ehinmowo, urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene for their inclusion in the programme.

Mr Ehinmowo explained that they had written several letters to the federal government but there was no positive result.

He said, “But up till this moment, the government has yet to respond to the promises to give us the amnesty. We have written a series of letters to the security agencies, the state government, and the federal government but no positive results. So, we are using this medium to tell the federal government that we have made up our minds to take drastic measures until the journey ends. We are pleading with President Bola Tinubu to come to our aid, and we are coming to Abuja in respect of this because the Ondo State Government is not ready to do anything.’’

According to Mr Ehinmowo, many of the former militants are now regretting their action for surrendering their arms and ammunition to the government.

Recall that the repentant militants were alleged to be behind the abduction of six Senior Secondary School pupils of Lagos Model College at Igbonla, near Epe in Lagos State; Arepo pipeline vandalisation and several attacks in the riverine areas of the state.

The militants in 2017 surrendered their weapons to the amnesty committee during the administration of the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.

Among the arms surrendered then by the militants included Browning wz machine gun, Daewoo K3, Colt automatic rifles, general purpose machine gun, AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers, CETME Ameli, Heckler & Koch MG4, pump action, and some automatic cartridges.