Seyi Tayese, Yenagoa
After release from a 14-year incarceration in a Nigerian prison, a Niger Delta Activist Edmund Ebiware, has urged the relevant stakeholders, especially the Presidential Amnesty Programme to rehabilitate him back into the society.
He said this will enable him to make something meaningful out of life and to contribute his quota to the development of Niger Delta and Nigeria as a nation. Saying since he regained his freedom from the prison, he has not done anything tangible with his life.
Recall that Edmund Ebiware was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2010 for an offence the Nigerian Government said he committed, which was having knowledge of a bomb blast which occurred at the Eagle Square on October 1, 2010.
But in a chat with journalists on Tuesday in Yenagoa, Ebiware insisted that he was innocent alleging that the Federal Government just wasted his youth for fourteen years.
Ebiware who was sentenced in his thirties but now in his forties and was released in February this year, advised the Niger Delta youths to be conscious of what they say even on phone, adding that whatever one says, can be used against him any day.
Popularly known as Don Capello, he disclosed that he has this penchant for peace and urging the youths of the region to continue to keep the peace he met as he came out from the prison.
He thanked the Federal Government for the surveillance contract being handled by Tantitta security stating that it was one of the things he pushed for before being jailed.
Edmund Ebiware said:” The judiciary process and the law, when you look at it critically, you will believe even without me telling you my story. We were before the court and there was no evidence to prove that they told me that there will be bomb before it happened.
“They said Henry Okah told me but they did not come up with any clear evidence that he told me. They had all our phones and all our conversations were towards peace and how we can secure peace in the Niger Delta.
“This surveillance contract you are seeing today, I did all those things. They now said they are charging me for an accessory to treason and that same treason was quashed. You are charging me for accessory to treason not accessory to terrorism which was the bombing proper.”
“The bombing proper, they charged some persons, Charles Okah and co for terrorism and they didn’t mention my name because those people are not linked to me. And they jailed them for terrorism, life sentence and they were also charged for treason but the treason punishment is death sentence they squashed that case.”
“They now said I’m an accessory to that treason but they couldn’t establish it because the president wasn’t there. When they quashed it in 2017, the government said they were going to look into it and that gave me an edge for pardon.”
“Because I was not able to go further, they settled at pardon but I wanted a review of my case to prove my innocence but even the judge who sentenced me to life imprisonment was the same judge that quashed the treason. If I’m not innocent, then why are you quashing the treason offence? I cannot be an accessory to nothing.”
“I need to be rehabilitated by the same system I worked for which is the Presidential Amnesty Programme. I worked for the system and people have befitted and my family has not. All these scholarships, i have not benefited. I have been sidelined and blacklisted.”
“I have this penchant for advocating for peace. It is something we started and we will not destroy it. We will keep on sustaining it but a labourer also needs his wages.”
“Fourteen years is not a joke. I need to hold on to something. I have my supporters, they are not happy that I came out and nothing has happened. They need to be part of the system also like every other person. They have been out of the system for fourteen years.”
“This surveillance contract is a good thing in the Niger Delta. It is something that we all have to put our heads together collectively to ensure the production output increases.”
“I advise the youth of Niger Delta to be conscious of the kind of company they keep and let your word be peace. Don’t carelessly say things on phone that will be incriminating which may be used against you any day.”
And to the youths, he advised:“Even though you are feeling bad and you are emotionally down, please don’t portray it openly. Let us keep the peace going .I have this penchant for peace. As I came out, I saw this peace and I’m ready to work towards sustaining the peace.”
“Tantitta has at least employed over 50,000 youths in the Niger Delta and it is a blessing to Niger Delta and we are gradually controlling our resources.”
“The present amnesty director is a good man. He is a round peg in a round hole. He is a product of the struggle, let them give him the support he needs to succeed.
“What we are enjoying today is the peace that I worked for in the region. I’m proud to say that we worked for a good thing. Many people were afraid. They never trusted the government but the government is meeting with their demands and what they promised.”
“There is peace everywhere but it is a bit fragile because we need to really sustain it by really working hard and the funding is not too ok because they have a budget requirement and Federal Government holds some money meant for the amnesty programme. This is really not telling good of the arrangement we had. I want the government to also meet up with their part of the deal.”
