“Who Is Sitting On The 2,000 Amnesty Slots? Jackrich Demands Tinubu’s Intervention As 17-Year Egberipapa Grievance Threatens To Boil Over”
By Passman Akpos
Leader of the Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF), High Chief Sobomabo Jackrich, popularly known as Egberipapa, has petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, seeking urgent intervention over the alleged non-implementation of a 2021 Senate resolution directing the integration of Egberipapa Camp into the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and the allocation of 2,000 slots to the group.
Jackrich also called for an independent forensic and performance audit of the Presidential Amnesty Programme from its inception, including an examination of its finances, beneficiary records, camp allocations and procurement activities.
In a detailed petition submitted to the State House, Jackrich alleged that more than 4,000 former agitators associated with Egberipapa Camp have remained outside the PAP framework for about 17 years, despite their participation in the disarmament process that preceded the establishment of the amnesty programme in 2009.
He recalled that on April 13, 2021, he submitted a formal petition to the 9th Senate through the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, challenging what he described as the exclusion and marginalisation of members of Egberipapa Camp from PAP.
According to him, the Senate Committee subsequently conducted legislative hearings on the matter and, in its recommendations, resolved that Egberipapa Camp/NDLF should be integrated into PAP with 2,000 slots allocated to the group
Jackrich further stated that in a follow-up correspondence dated June 8, 2021, the Committee directed the then Interim Administrator of PAP to explain how funds appropriated to the programme had been utilised and provide documentary evidence of slot allocations to various camps.
“Copies of the relevant Senate documents, correspondence and resolutions are annexed to this petition for Your Excellency’s consideration,” Jackrich stated.
He argued that the documents demonstrated that the issue had received formal legislative attention and was not merely an informal complaint.
The NDLF leader told President Tinubu that the failure to implement the Senate resolution had created what he described as a “profound sense of injustice” among affected former agitators and their families.
He also said the unresolved situation had placed a significant personal welfare burden on him, noting that he had continued to shoulder substantial responsibilities for members of the affected group while awaiting government intervention.
“I have personally carried substantial welfare responsibilities for members of the affected group for many years while awaiting resolution of the Federal Government’s intervention. The resulting frustration has become increasingly difficult to manage,” he wrote.
Jackrich maintained that his latest petition was not intended to reopen an old dispute but to seek closure on what he described as an issue that had remained in “administrative limbo” since 2009.
Security Warning
A major aspect of the petition was the potential security implication of leaving the grievance unresolved.
Jackrich said members of his camp had repeatedly been encouraged to pursue lawful and institutional channels for redress, but warned that continued frustration could create conditions for some aggrieved youths to consider unlawful alternatives.
“I am increasingly concerned that, if the matter remains unresolved, some aggrieved persons may become tempted to resort to self-help or other unlawful means of expressing their grievances,” he warned.
He stressed that the statement was not intended as a threat against President Tinubu or the Federal Government, but as a warning about the possible consequences of allowing a longstanding grievance involving a large number of young people in an oil-producing region to persist indefinitely.
Jackrich urged the President to treat the matter as a “preventive intervention” capable of restoring confidence in the amnesty process, preventing avoidable escalation and demonstrating that legitimate grievances could be resolved through lawful institutions.
Demands Review Of PAP Slot Allocations
Beyond the Egberipapa Camp issue, Jackrich called for a comprehensive review of PAP’s historical slot allocation system.
He urged the Federal Government to independently establish the original criteria used to identify beneficiaries, the number of slots approved annually since 2009, the number allocated to each recognised camp and the reasons some groups were allegedly excluded.
He also requested records showing the names and categories of beneficiaries, subject to applicable privacy and data-protection requirements, as well as clarification of the financial obligations attached to the various allocations.
According to him, such a review would not only address his camp’s grievance but could also strengthen public confidence in the programme.
Jackrich Seeks Forensic Audit Of Amnesty Programme
Jackrich further asked President Tinubu to order an independent forensic and performance audit of PAP from inception to date.
He noted that the programme is funded with public resources appropriated by the National Assembly, including what he described as a substantial provision in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Rather than making an outright allegation of financial wrongdoing, Jackrich said an independent audit would establish whether the programme had been properly managed and expose any deficiencies requiring correction.
He proposed that the audit should examine total funds appropriated and released to PAP, actual expenditure against appropriations, spending on administration, training, education and empowerment, procurement and contracts, beneficiary and camp allocations, slot records, outstanding liabilities and compliance with procurement and audit laws.
“If the Programme has been properly managed, such an audit would provide an opportunity to establish that fact conclusively,” he stated.
‘PAP Was Created For Peace And Reintegration’
Jackrich reminded President Tinubu that PAP was established in 2009 as an instrument of peace, reconciliation, rehabilitation, reintegration and development in the Niger Delta.
He argued that where former beneficiaries believe they were excluded from the programme contrary to government decisions or legislative resolutions, such grievances should be conclusively investigated and determined.
He identified three broad national objectives for presidential intervention: restoring confidence in government’s commitment to justice, preventing frustration from developing into a security challenge and strengthening accountability within PAP.
Eight Requests Before Tinubu
Jackrich’s petition contains eight specific requests, including a demand that President Tinubu:
1. Direct PAP to implement the Senate resolution allocating 2,000 slots to Egberipapa Camp.
2. Order verification of the status of affected former agitators.
3. Direct the production of historical PAP slot allocation records.
4. Order an independent forensic and performance audit of PAP.
5. Investigate why the Senate resolutions have allegedly remained unimplemented.
6. Direct the National Security Adviser to engage relevant stakeholders.
7. Establish a time-bound mechanism for resolving the longstanding dispute.
8. Grant him an opportunity to appear before the President or a designated panel to present original documents and supporting evidence.
Despite his grievances, Jackrich commended the Tinubu administration for efforts aimed at increasing crude oil production and sustaining intervention programmes in the Niger Delta.
He said his approach remained peaceful and institutional, stressing that the objective was to ensure that affected former agitators continued to have confidence in the Nigerian State and its constitutional institutions.
“The Petitioner’s earnest desire is that the affected former agitators continue to believe in the Nigerian State and that their grievances can be resolved through lawful and constitutional processes rather than through frustration or self-help,” the petition concluded.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established in 2009 following the Federal Government’s amnesty initiative for Niger Delta militants. The programme provides interventions including stipends, education, vocational training and empowerment for eligible former agitators.
