Ex‑Niger Delta militants stormed the main gate of the National Assembly in Abuja on Tuesday to protest the alleged non‑payment of their allowances by the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu (retd.). The former agitators, who come from the oil‑rich Niger Delta region, claim that the monthly stipend of N65,000 for over 7,000 beneficiaries has been stopped since Ndiomu’s appointment in September of last year by President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
The protesters, representing Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Ondo and Edo states, said the demonstration was intended to register their displeasure with the non‑payment and to urge the leadership of the National Assembly to intervene. They also presented a petition, signed by Paul Johnson, Chairman of Phase 2 in Bayelsa State, and two others, addressed to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba. A copy of the petition, made available to journalists, read in part:
> “We abide by the law as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, upon our disarmament and acceptance to embrace the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Right from the inception of the programme, we are duty‑bound to play by its rules, to remain non‑violent, and to receive emoluments, incentives and benefits, including training—both academic and non‑academic—and the monthly N65,000 stipend. Sir, for the past six months, over 7,000 delegates have stopped receiving the N65,000. This is a result of the appointment of Ndiomu as the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Since his appointment, many of our ex‑agitators have suffered this insensitive behaviour from Ndiomu.”
In response, Freston Akpor, Special Assistant (Media) to the Office of the Interim Administrator of PAP, described the protesters as criminals and said they are under investigation by the Office of the National Security Adviser. He noted that multiple bank accounts have been linked to a single person’s BVN, creating irregularities. According to Akpor, the number of ex‑agitators on PAP’s payroll has remained at 30,000 since 2009, despite many beneficiaries completing the reintegration process and exiting the programme.
He explained that “from 2009 until September last year, the figure of 30,000 has remained unchanged, even though many people have gone through the reintegration process. We have encountered problems with the BVN system, where more than 30 accounts were sometimes linked to one BVN. As a result, the current count is just over 19,000 ex‑agitators. In the process, more than N200 million has been saved by the office for other needs. Those protesting are part of the problem; they are the individuals whose multiple accounts are linked to one BVN. This is a criminal case—a financial crime—and the issue has been reported to the Office of the NSA and is under investigation.”
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