From Judex Okoro, Calabar.
Ex-agitators numbering over one hundred blocked Governor’s Office protesting non-payment of their allowance by the government since 2018.
The agitators, mostly from the former Bakasi Strike Force based at Bakassi local government area, stormed the governor’s office about 8:00am wearing pair of black trousers and black T-shirts and barricaded the gate preventing workers from entering the premises.
They attempted to pull down the main gate of Cross River Governor’s office but not for the intervention of some of them who prevailed on their colleagues not to be violent.
Speaking to joirnalists, one of their leaders, populaely known as Timaya, said they were protesting the non-payment of their allowance since December 2018 and are not going anywhere until the governor settles them.
“Since 2018 the governor has reneged on agreement after we laid down our arms in December 2018.
“After we surrendered, we went for training and the governor promised that we were going to be given starter packs and be integrated into the system.
“Instead of fulfilling his promise, the governor went and put up a sign-post in Bakassi to say has paid us. He has since refused to attend to us and we are very angry,” Timaya said.
Addressing the agitators, the Permanent Secretary Special Services ( security) Governor’s Ofdice, Dr Alfred Mboto, pleaded with them to allow government time to sort out their grievances.
According to him, the state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, was working on their case and would call for a meeting with their leaders.”
Reacting to the prptest, the counsel to the ex-agitators, Ozinko Ozinko, corroborated that that the government hS failed to keep to their ow part of the MoU signed that made them lay down arms.