Sampson Funpuwei, ex-Niger Delta agitator, has appealed to his colleagues, who hitherto were planning to go on a massive protest march in parts of the Niger Delta region, to give peace a chance by discontinuing the move.

They wanted to protest the alleged high-handedness of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo.

Funpuwei, who made the appeal in a chat with journalists in Benin, stated that: “At this period when all hands are on deck to correct some lapses setting us back as a country, it is reasonable that we should avoid heating up the polity.

“Please, my intention should not be misinterpreted to mean that I am supporting impunity. Far from it. My concern is that there are many issues begging for attention so we should take them one after the other.

“I am appealing to my colleagues (ex-militant leaders) to sheathe their swords and let us give Professor Charles Dokubo a little more time to look into our petition and proffer a lasting solution to it all,” he submitted. (Independent)