From Militancy To Missionary: An Ex-Militant’s Metamorphosis

A popular saying that change is the only permanent phenomenon in life holds true for Chief Kile Selky Torughedi, an indigene of Ijaw South in Bayelsa State. He was among a group of young men and women from the Niger Delta region who took up arms against the federal government, to protest what they term, devastation of their environment and exploitation of the natural resources within their domain.

Selky was recently ordained the Chaplain General of the Bayelsa State Command of the Mission for Africa Chaplain Corps, a group of men and women who take the gospel around Africa and beyond. Selky who later became known as General Young Shall Grow in the Niger Delta creeks, said he long had a vision that he would win people to Christ.

Selky who holds a Higher National Diploma in Public Administration, recalled his days in the creeks, saying he underwent a baptism of fire with the Niger Delta Suicide Squad and later, grew through the ranks to become the commander of the South Wing of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) in 2002.

He disclosed that he occupied the position until 2009 when he accepted the peace option for the emancipation of his people under the Amnesty Programme of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Gen Selky who revealed that he was contrained to look into the plight of his people from the Niger Delta after he came across a poem titled ‘The Cry of the Children’ written in 1861 by Elizabeth Barrett, whose tone, he said, connected to the plight of the Niger Delta child.

According to him, he was inspired to come to the aid of his neglected people by building a nursery and primary school for his community and put some youths who desired to further their education under his sponsorship.

Selky told a story of how he was pronounced dead after being hit by bullets and his corpse was being prepared for the mortuary when several hours later, he rose up from the dead.

This miracle which he said, was the doing of God gave him an insight into what he said God wanted to use him for. “By this experience, I knew that my “second coming” was to fulfill that which I was ordained to proclaim,” he told this reporter.

According to Selky, what actually informed his accepting the new spiritual position was after his come back to life. He said he saw a picture of hell waiting to be erased from his community by an ordained one.