We've not stopped payment of stipends to ex-agitators - Amnesty Boss

ort Harcourt -- The

Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (Rtd), has announced that the Amnesty office has not stopped the payment of N65,000 to exagitators who are beneficiaries of the programme.

To this end, the Amnesty boss has reiterated the commitment of PAP to ensure genuine beneficiaries received their monthly stipends regularly and timely.

Dikio said PAP has commenced an in-depth investigation into many complaints and petitions it received over the years from ex-agitators and other stakeholders on allegations of fraudulent conversions of beneficiaries’ names and other irregularities.

Speaking through his Special Assistant on Media, Nneotaobase Egb on the ongoing delay in payment of N65,000 monthly stipends to some beneficiaries of the programme, he said the investigations became necessary to correct identified anomalies and cleanse the system.

He clarified that the ongoing verification led to some irregular payments as stipends meant for some names under investigation had to be suspended pending the outcome of the probe.

But he assured that the genuine beneficiaries affected by the ongoing probe would surely receive their stipends.

"Contrary to reports, only the stipends of a few beneficiaries are affected by the investigations.

"Beneficiaries should remember that their stipends had always been paid on time, even before the 25th of every month in fulfilment of the promise he made to them when he assumed office.