BREAKING: ‘Our Member Died Waiting’ — Bayelsa Amnesty Camp Alleges 20-Month Unpaid Stipends, Blames PAP Neglect
by Passman Akpos
Nineteen beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) under the General Asupa Suoyo Oupele Camp in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have alleged that they have been owed stipends for 20 months, despite repeated petitions and engagements with the programme’s management.
In a complaint letter dated 9 July 2026 and addressed to the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, the camp leadership appealed for the immediate payment of the outstanding stipends, stating that the prolonged delay has subjected affected beneficiaries to severe hardship.
The letter, signed by General Oupele Suoyo, Camp Leader of the Asupa Suoyo Oupele Camp, claimed that the camp had previously written to the PAP over the matter, including after the alleged death of one of its members, which the camp attributed to the financial hardship resulting from the prolonged non-payment.
According to the petition, the PAP subsequently requested the details of the affected beneficiaries, prompting the camp to submit the names, bank account details and programme identification codes of the 19 beneficiaries said to have been affected.
The camp stated that all necessary documents, including bank statements, were attached to the petition to enable the authorities verify the claims and facilitate payment.
“We shall appreciate if you can use your good office to verify and effect payments to alleviate the difficulties we are experiencing,” the petition read.
The document bears a receipt stamp from the Presidential Amnesty Programme Bayelsa State Liaison Office, indicating it was received on 15 July 2026.
Beneficiary Cries Out
Speaking with a Tarakirivoice correspondent via a social media chat, one of the affected beneficiaries, Mr. Indukeakpo Jacob, appealed for public attention to the matter.
According to him, the affected beneficiaries have exhausted every official channel available to them without success.
“We have been passing through this for 20 months. Sir, help us. What are we going to do about our letter?” he said.
Jacob maintained that the camp has no disciplinary or administrative issues that could justify the stoppage of the stipends.
He explained that the camp has participated in the Presidential Amnesty Programme since 2009 and consists of 74 beneficiaries, with only 19 members allegedly affected by the prolonged non-payment.
He further claimed that the last significant payment followed a protest at the PAP Liaison Office in Yenagoa in December 2024, after which the affected beneficiaries reportedly received five months’ arrears.
“We don’t have any problem in our camp. Since 2009 we have been in the Amnesty Programme. It was only a few months after Dr. Dennis Otuaro took over that this problem started. Out of our 74 members, 19 people have not been paid. We have submitted several letters, but nothing has happened,” Jacob alleged.
The beneficiaries are calling on the management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme to urgently investigate their complaints and clear the alleged outstanding stipends to ease their economic hardship.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidential Amnesty Programme had not publicly responded to the latest allegations.@
