Determined to ensure peace and safety along the state’s creeks and waterways, Cross River Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, yesterday granted amnesty to the dreaded Bakassi Strike Force.

Over a hundred of the militants who took up arms following the ceding of the Bakassi peninsular have also surrendered their weapons.

Ayade’s amnesty gesture, which was the outcome of collaboration between the federal, state government and the Operation Delta Safe, was aimed at sustaining the state’s safe investment climate.

Addressing the ex-militants at Ikang, headquarters of Bakassi Local Government Area, Ayade said: “I have a duty as a father to protect all citizens and a responsibility as a governor to ensure security of lives and property.

“Therefore, there is a complex relationship between my office as governor and my traditional role as a father. In the light of this, therefore, allow me the luxury to maneuver through such an agony that I have found myself today.

It is totally unacceptable, no matter the circumstance, for any citizen of Nigeria who is not trained to bear arms to carry arms. To that extent, I wish to particularly thank President Muhammadu Buhari, the Chief of Army Staff and the Commander of Operation Delta Safe for making this event possible.

•Sourced from The Guardian report