Ex-militants storm Abuja, demand stipends

Over 1,800 ex-militants from Niger Delta under the Amnesty programme yesterday stormed Abuja to demand payment of their monthly stipends.

A group of five men representing the phase 2 called R1 (River 1) that their group was under Chief Ateke Tom Camp, visited Media Trust office yesterday to complain discrepancy in payment of their stipends.

They said instead of the monthly stipend of N65,000 approved by government, some of them were receiving N40,000 while some have not being paid at all.

The leader of the team, Dike Harold said, they had written several letters to the Amnesty Office and to EFCC but the issue was not resolved, saying when the new coordinator of the programme, Prof Charles Dokubo came on board he paid the ex-militants for three months.

“The other groups have been receiving their payment directly from the CBN as approved by government after a verification exercise that took place in 2016, some were given their master card but our group leader has denied us that opportunity to get said.

Dike added that about 30 of them were at the Amnesty office to lay their complaints on Tuesday but were maltreated and chased out of the office complex by the security operatives.

Reacting to the allegation, the Special Assistant, Media to the Coordinator, Amnesty Programme, Murphy Ganagana said, the programme was not owing any beneficiary, saying those that were complaining are either not approved beneficiaries or are those that registered with multiple accounts. direct payment,” he