Beam searchlight on amnesty programme, group tells Buhari

Ex-agitators and the Indigenous People of the Niger Delta (IPND) have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to beam searchlight on amnesty programmes to ensure that the benefits gets to the beneficiaries.
IPND President, Tiemo Pumokumo made the call at a news conference held in Abuja.
He said that the programme introduced by late President, Umaru Musa Yar’adua in 2009, was aimed at reducing the security unrest in the Niger Delta region and foster peaceful coexistence among communities.
Pumokumo said that as laudable as the initiative is, some individuals were sabotaging the good efforts of President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.
He alleged that the money approved for the amnesty programme had been tampered with and that was affecting it effectiveness.
He claimed that less than 40 per cent of the former agitators, who accepted the peace initiative, were being catered for, leaving over 60 per cent stranded and betrayed. “Though all the ex agitators were captured by the Joint task force, but only a few receive their monthly stipends from the amnesty office, as a result of the huge corruption that exist within the office”.
“Many of the ex-agitators are now more vulnerable and many are marginalized.
This makes us to wonder why our leaders play politics without considering the interest of the common man.
“This, amongst others, was what led to the uprising of the Niger Delta Avengers, which brought down the oil sector and crippled the Nigeria economy which we are yet to recover from.
“The relationship between the youth of Niger Delta and the federal government is no longer cordial, but in doubts.
“So we call for urgent action to remedy the situation so as to discourage the ex agitators from going back to the creeks”, he added.