Amnesty Programme Accused of Abandoning Beneficiaries as Ex-Militant Leader Faces Fresh Allegations
By Paul Ebi
A beneficiary of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Mr. Malati Wariebi, has accused the scheme of failing its original mandate following alleged irregularities that have left dozens of beneficiaries without their monthly stipends.
Speaking on behalf of affected persons, Wariebi said he was a beneficiary of the first phase of the Amnesty Programme but alleged that his monthly stipend was abruptly stopped by his former general commander, Paul Eric, popularly known as Ogun Boss.
According to Wariebi, Ogun Boss allegedly used his United Nations (UN) code to open a bank account without his consent and submitted the account details to the Amnesty Office. He claimed that stipends meant for him have since been paid into the account allegedly controlled by the former commander.
He further alleged that a total of 43 beneficiaries were affected, stating that all their stipends were similarly stopped under the same arrangement.Wariebi said the affected beneficiaries have made several trips to Abuja in an effort to resolve the issue, including visits to the Amnesty Office and the Peace and Conflict Resolution Office.
He alleged that during a roundtable discussion convened by the Peace and Conflict Resolution Office in Abuja, Ogun Boss disrupted the meeting, allegedly resorting to violence, which prevented a peaceful resolution of the matter.
The aggrieved beneficiaries also claimed they instituted legal action against Ogun Boss, the Amnesty Office, and the Attorney-General of the Federation. However, Wariebi alleged that the legal process was frustrated, claiming that their efforts were undermined by alleged bribery of legal representatives handling the case.
“Our stipends have been stopped, our complaints ignored, and justice has been denied,” Wariebi said. “This is why we are saying the Amnesty Programme has failed us.”
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain responses from the Amnesty Office, Paul Eric (Ogun Boss), and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation were unsuccessful.
