Probe corruption in amnesty payment, SERAP urges Buhari

By Abdulwahab Abdulah

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe allegations of corruption against the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme, which led to alleged non-payment of entitlements and allowances to some beneficiaries.

President Muhammadu Buhari

SERAP, in a statement by its Executive Director, Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, yesterday, in Lagos, said  that it received a petition from seven individuals from Patani in Delta State, accusing the authorities of not paying them their entitlements four years after their integration into the government’s amnesty programme.

The petitioners, Sukore  Daniel, Ekperi Abel, Enodeh Eniyekperi, Ebaretonbofa  Keme, Akperi Tamaraebi and Godspower Desmonds, according to SERAP, alleged that they had gone through the required training under the Amnesty Programme by the Federal Government.

According to SERAP, although the Amnesty office had issued identification cards to them and collected their bank details, they have not received their monthly payment of N65, 000 due them under the programme from November, 2011 to date.

Expressing fear over the issue, SERAP, said: “We are seriously concerned that the accrued allowances to the petitioners might have been stolen, diverted or mismanaged. We fear that these cases may not just be isolated incidents and that there are likely to be a broader pattern of corruption, and impunity, and are in large part the consequence of the previous government’s failure to address it.

“We believe that the President can play a leadership role in addressing the problem and ensure justice and fair play to those affected. Doing so will be entirely consistent with the anti-corruption policy of this government.”