The Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, has expressed his willingness to work with the Bakassi Strike Force.

Mr Inuwa made the assertion following the call by the repentant militants to embrace amnesty once they get the right platform.

The Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral James Oluwole, also lauded the move by the group.

He stated that leaving sophisticated arms in the hands of untrained people could be very disastrous.

The Police and Navy bosses made the remarks in separate interviews with Channels Television in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

Hasten Amnesty Process

They stressed the need for the Federal and state governments to look into the matter and hasten the amnesty process, in order to disengage the group of the many sophisticated weapons in its possession.

Mr Inuwa and Rear Admiral Oluwole noted that the action was commendable in view of the fact that no unauthorised citizen is backed by law to possess arms and ammunition, stressing that it could be abused while the repercussion could massive.

Following an interaction with the militants, Channels Television broke the news about the group’s call for amnesty in June 2016.

The Bakassi Strike Force, which operates in the creeks surrounding Cross River State and its environs, comprises of young men from Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.

Addressing reporters recently in Calabar, the leader of the militants, Simply Benjamin, who is popularly known as G1, again openly expressed their determination to lay off their arms to the government and embrace peace in view of the current happenings in the Niger Delta region.

Top security agencies have described the move as a right step towards the right direction for the region and Nigeria as a whole.

Until amnesty is granted to the militants by the appropriate quarters, the group remains in hiding as no one is privy to their hideouts.