Niger Delta have been arrested by the
Police in Takoradi for allegedly heckling
a hotel attendant and holding their co-
ordinator hostage.
The suspects and 183 others, who
arrived in the country to train at the
various National Vocational training
institutes (NVTI) as welders and oil rig
workers, were said to have locked up
their leader for more than two hours in
a toilet at a hotel in Takoradi where they
were lodging.
The Police said at the time of the arrest,
the suspects were in a meeting planning
to rally support across their bases in the
country to attack their offices in Accra.
According to the hotel manager (name
withheld), the group had been in the
hotel since Thursday, January 27, 2011
and they had booked rooms for a six-
month period.
He said there had been shouting from
one of their rooms, which prompted one
of the attendants at the place to go and
find out what was going on, but the
door was locked.
“He banged on the door several times
but those inside refused to open it.
When the door was finally forced open,
the occupants heckled the attendant and
tore his shirt ” the manager said.
He said just last Sunday the group
started agitating that their daily
allowance was not enough and on
Tuesday they began a hunger strike and
refused to eat the food prepared for
them.
He said when he monitored the
demeanour of the group he decided to
first report the matter to the police, who
asked him to call the station in case of
any violence.
Asked if he had enquired about the
calibre of people looking for
accommodation before taking them in,
he explained that officials from the NVTI
in Accra had gone to the Hotel to inspect
the facilities and had informed the
management that the group was made
up of students from Nigeria on an
exchange programme.
“We were shocked when the people
finally arrived and, through interactions
they said they were former militants
from the Delta State of Nigeria who had
been completely purged of any acts of
violence, ” the manager said.
When contacted, the Assistant Director
of the NVTI, Mr John Okane, said the
institute had an agreement with an
organisation in Nigeria called Learning
Resources in Nigeria to train the former
militants.
He said, however, that Learning
Resources was responsible for their
accommodation and feeding.
Police in Takoradi for allegedly heckling
a hotel attendant and holding their co-
ordinator hostage.
The suspects and 183 others, who
arrived in the country to train at the
various National Vocational training
institutes (NVTI) as welders and oil rig
workers, were said to have locked up
their leader for more than two hours in
a toilet at a hotel in Takoradi where they
were lodging.
The Police said at the time of the arrest,
the suspects were in a meeting planning
to rally support across their bases in the
country to attack their offices in Accra.
According to the hotel manager (name
withheld), the group had been in the
hotel since Thursday, January 27, 2011
and they had booked rooms for a six-
month period.
He said there had been shouting from
one of their rooms, which prompted one
of the attendants at the place to go and
find out what was going on, but the
door was locked.
“He banged on the door several times
but those inside refused to open it.
When the door was finally forced open,
the occupants heckled the attendant and
tore his shirt ” the manager said.
He said just last Sunday the group
started agitating that their daily
allowance was not enough and on
Tuesday they began a hunger strike and
refused to eat the food prepared for
them.
He said when he monitored the
demeanour of the group he decided to
first report the matter to the police, who
asked him to call the station in case of
any violence.
Asked if he had enquired about the
calibre of people looking for
accommodation before taking them in,
he explained that officials from the NVTI
in Accra had gone to the Hotel to inspect
the facilities and had informed the
management that the group was made
up of students from Nigeria on an
exchange programme.
“We were shocked when the people
finally arrived and, through interactions
they said they were former militants
from the Delta State of Nigeria who had
been completely purged of any acts of
violence, ” the manager said.
When contacted, the Assistant Director
of the NVTI, Mr John Okane, said the
institute had an agreement with an
organisation in Nigeria called Learning
Resources in Nigeria to train the former
militants.
He said, however, that Learning
Resources was responsible for their
accommodation and feeding.
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