Former militants under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) have vowed to stop presidential campaigns of any political party in the Niger Delta region over their unpaid stipends.
The former militants who staged a protest at the secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Yenagoa over the de-listing of 2,952 beneficiaries and refusal of the amnesty office to pay them the monthly stipends of N65,000 monthly, threatened to lead a protest to occupy the PAP office in Abuja and tactical disruption of presidential campaigns of political parties within the nine states in the Niger Delta region.
It was reported that the former Militants said the refusal of the amnesty office to return the affected 2,952 beneficiaries to the payroll and immediately pay them their stipends will create tension in the region.
The National Chairman of phase two beneficiaries of the amnesty program, Aso Tambo, also gave the amnesty office a one-week ultimatum to commence immediate payment of those delisted from the payroll of the program.
Tambo added that despite the achievements recorded by the Interim Administrator, Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd.) in the area of security commitment from the head of service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the area of employment for beneficiaries, the refusal to pay the 2,952 beneficiaries will provoke tension and destroy the existing fragile peace in the region.
He said;
“We have all met and adopted our strategy against the refusal of the amnesty office to pay 2,952 beneficiaries. We want them to pay those affected within one week or else we will mobilize and occupy the presidential amnesty office strategically. If it is not still paid, we will not allow the peaceful conduct of presidential campaigns within the nine states of the Niger Delta region.
“If they feel we are dogs that bark and can not bite, they should dare us and see the consequence. They should consider the monthly stipends important and know that such payment will lead to an unimaginable crisis of not being paid immediately.”