The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has
raised the alarm over alleged corruption being perpetrated
within the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme.
The organisation, which said complaints of corruption
within the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme had come to its
notice, is seeking an urgent probe of the programme by
President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a petition dated July 10, 2015 and addressed to the
President, SERAP said based on the complaints that it
received, the organisation was concerned that accrued
allowances to some of the participants in the programme
“might have been stolen, diverted or mismanaged.”
According to the organisation, some of the victims of the
alleged corruption are one Sukore Daniel, Ekperi Abel,
Enodeh Eniyekperi, Ebaretonbofa Keme, Akperi Tamaraebi
and Godspower Desmonds all of Patani Community in Delta
State.
SERAP said the complaints it received from petitioners
could be representative of widespread corruption within the
Niger Delta Amnesty Programme resulting from what it
described as the failure of the previous government.
The petition signed by SERAP’s Executive Director,
Adetokunbo Mumuni, read in part, “The petitioners alleged
that they have gone through the required training under the
Amnesty Programme by the Federal Government. Although
the Amnesty Office has issued identification cards to the
petitioners and the office has collected their bank details,
the petitioners have not received their monthly payment of
N65,000 due to them under the Programme from
November, 2011 to date.
“We are seriously concerned that the accrued allowances to
the petitioners might have been stolen, diverted or
mismanaged. We fear that these cases may not just be
isolated incidents and that they are likely to be a broader
pattern of corruption and impunity, and are in large part the
consequence of the previous government’s failure to
address it.
“We believe that the President can play a leadership role in
helping to address the problem and ensure justice and fair
play to those affected. Doing so will be entirely consistent
with the anti-corruption policy of this government.”
Punch online
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