Scores of former Niger Delta militant leaders are locked in battle with the coordinator of the Federal Government’s amnesty programme in charge of Bayelsa State, Pastor Reuben Wilson, over alleged diversion of N150m amnesty funds.
The ex-militants have therefore asked the Federal Government to commence investigations into the matter.
They said that the money, allegedly diverted to private accounts, was meant for their empowerment.
In a petition dated November 25 and addressed to President Goodluck Jonathan through their lawyers, Olu Ojujoh & Co., the ex-militants said nothing had been done to resettle them since they surrendered their arms in 2009.
They accused Wilson of squandering “all the money the Federal Government paid through him” to settle them.
In the petition, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent on Tuesday, the former militantsccalled on the police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission and other anti-graft agencies to arrest and probe Wilson.
They traced their woes to 2011 when, according to them, the Federal Government through the Amnesty Office released N10m housing allowance to each militant leader.
But the aggrieved ex-militants claimed that their group leader was fond of paying them what he liked instead of the money approved by the government.
Part of the petition read, “Our clients and other former Niger Delta agitators elected Pastor Reuben Wilson as their coordinator so that the Federal Government amnesty office can deal with an individual as their representative and for them to speak in one voice.
“The behaviour of Pastor Reuben Wilson has caused our clients and their followers a lot of hardship and loss of confidence. The followers of our clients, who are the primary beneficiaries of the housing allowance of N150,000,000 are threatening to deal with our clients.
“They are issuing the threats on the erroneous belief that our clients did not pay them the allowances. It is a common knowledge that threats to ‘deal with’ in the context means to kill the person and text messages to that effect are numerous.”
Punch
The ex-militants have therefore asked the Federal Government to commence investigations into the matter.
They said that the money, allegedly diverted to private accounts, was meant for their empowerment.
In a petition dated November 25 and addressed to President Goodluck Jonathan through their lawyers, Olu Ojujoh & Co., the ex-militants said nothing had been done to resettle them since they surrendered their arms in 2009.
They accused Wilson of squandering “all the money the Federal Government paid through him” to settle them.
In the petition, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent on Tuesday, the former militantsccalled on the police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission and other anti-graft agencies to arrest and probe Wilson.
They traced their woes to 2011 when, according to them, the Federal Government through the Amnesty Office released N10m housing allowance to each militant leader.
But the aggrieved ex-militants claimed that their group leader was fond of paying them what he liked instead of the money approved by the government.
Part of the petition read, “Our clients and other former Niger Delta agitators elected Pastor Reuben Wilson as their coordinator so that the Federal Government amnesty office can deal with an individual as their representative and for them to speak in one voice.
“The behaviour of Pastor Reuben Wilson has caused our clients and their followers a lot of hardship and loss of confidence. The followers of our clients, who are the primary beneficiaries of the housing allowance of N150,000,000 are threatening to deal with our clients.
“They are issuing the threats on the erroneous belief that our clients did not pay them the allowances. It is a common knowledge that threats to ‘deal with’ in the context means to kill the person and text messages to that effect are numerous.”
Punch
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