“14 Years After Weapons Surrender: Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Accuse PAP of Sitting on Barrack Slots”
By Paul Ebi
YENAGOA — Fresh concerns have emerged over alleged missing slots under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) as a Bayelsa-based ex-agitator has called on authorities to investigate claims that dozens of beneficiaries from a Niger Delta “barrack” have been left out despite repeated submissions since 2012.
Mr. Diefah David, who identified himself as a native of Ogboinbiri town in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, in a distress call to Tarakirivoice, said he and other members of the Abayasabou Barrack in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State had been seeking recognition of their slots in the federal amnesty scheme for over a decade.
David, also known as “Commander Volvo 7.7,” alleged that he and his associate, General Kokori Awala Aladin, initially submitted 32 items under the disarmament process during the second and third phases of the programme in 2012 but claimed that the expected slots tied to the weapons surrender have not been reflected in the PAP database.
According to him, members of the group have repeatedly written letters and made several trips to the PAP office, spending significant personal resources while trying to resolve the matter.
“We have been complaining and sending letters to the PAP office since 2012. We spent a lot of money trying to secure the slots connected to our barrack,” he said.
David further alleged that at various times individuals claiming to represent officials linked to the programme asked them to submit names for about 20 slots and demanded money, promising verification visits to Bayelsa. However, he claimed that no official response or verification had taken place.
The barrack, according to him, is located in Oboro creeks of Burutu LGA and is reportedly headed by Kokori Awala Aladin.
Documents cited by the group include a restricted report from the Joint Task Force (JTF) under Operation Restore Hope, dated August 11, indicating that Kokori Awala Aladin voluntarily handed over several weapons to troops at the time.
The report listed the items surrendered to Sector 2 Headquarters of the JTF in Yenagoa as including 18 locally made single-barrel guns, one double-barrel gun, two pump-action guns, two bazooka-type firearms and nine pieces of dynamite.
David said the continued delay in resolving the issue has caused tensions within the barrack community, with some members accusing him of collecting money without delivering the promised slots.
“As the secretary of the barrack, people are accusing me of eating their money, while nothing has come from the PAP office. This situation is causing serious misunderstanding among us,” he said.
He appealed to the PAP coordinator and relevant authorities to investigate the matter and clarify the status of the alleged slots linked to the Abayasabou Barrack
The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established by the Federal Government in 2009 to reintegrate former militants in the Niger Delta through disarmament, rehabilitation and empowerment initiatives.
As of the time of filing this report, officials of the programme had not responded to the allegations.
