Ex-militants To Raise Funds For Jonathan's 2015 Campaign

Prominent ex-militants from the oil-producing Bayelsa State announced a plan to contribute three months of their allowances to President Goodluck Jonathan's campaign funds and to purchase the nomination form for the 2016 re-election of Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State.

According to the plan, each of the 6,166 ex-militants from Bayelsa State will pitch in their monthly allowances of N65,000 towards raising N10.5 million in campaign funds for Mr. Dickson and President Jonathan.

Many of the ex-militants, who belonged to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), had waged a fierce battle against Nigeria's security forces to push their demands for control of the crude oil resources in the area.

ALLEGED RANSOM FOR RELEASE OF CLARK'S SON

The attention of the Delta State Government has been drawn to a release by a group called MEND, alleging that the Delta State Government parted with the sum of N500m as ransom for the release of Mr. Ebikeme Clark, son of Chief E.K. Clark who was kidnapped and released a few days ago.

In the said statement, it was also alleged that the kidnap was stage managed by Ebikeme Clark and the police to swindle the State Government of such an amount.

The Delta State Government wishes to State categorically that it did not part with any money as ransom for the release of Mr. Ebikeme Clark. It is the policy of the Government not to pay or encourage the payment of ransom by families as this encourages more kidnappings.