Some former Niger Delta militants on Saturday shut down the Ohoror area of the East/West Road as they protested irregularities in the payment of their allowances.
The ex-militants, numbering about 300, mounted a heavy roadblocks on the highway, disrupting free flow of traffic for hours.
The repentant militants accused an aide to President Goodluck Jonathan and those they referred to as their ‘militant generals’ of depriving them of their pay as approved by the Federal Government.
The protesters, who carried placards with inscriptions like, ‘you are tempting us’ ‘Mr President, come to our aid’ and ‘militant generals are duping us,’ frustrated commuters and motorists for hours on the busy highway.
They called on the Federal Government to immediately initiate an investigation into how the funds meant for them were being expended.
A former militant leader, Mr Gift Tare, had recently maintained that except a probe panel was urgently set up to probe the funds, the purpose of setting up the programme might be defeated.
Tare, who is the leader of the Iduwini Volunteer Force, alleged that certain individuals were “personalising” the operations of the programme aimed at returning peace to the Niger Delta.
Also, a Warri based Human Rights lawyer, Oghenejabor Ikimi, had recently petitioned the President over what he termed the “criminal diversion” of monthly allowances of over 60 ex-militants attached Delta camps 1and 2.
Ikimi had also accused some leaders of ex-militants from Delta Base camps 1 and 2 as well as Piropere camp of listing names of non-militants in place of some repentant militants, thereby short-changing the authentic beneficiaries.
The protesters stressed that their action would continue until their allowances were paid directly into their accounts and not through their ‘militant generals’.
One of the repentant militants, who is also the Vice- Chairman of the Amnesty phase 11, Mr. Doctor Engotan, in an interview with journalists, accused the presidential aide of conniving with the militant generals to defraud them of their money.
He explained that all the protesters had earlier all undergone rehabilitation at Obubra, Cross Rivers State, and had been issued identity cards.
He added that the Amnesty Board had directed them to open accounts with two banks, wondering why after they obeyed the directive, their entitlements were still not paid into their respective bank accounts.
Engotan warned that the situation could degenerate to another era of agitation and militancy and urged the relevant authorities to prevail on the presidential aide to reverse the payment pattern.
The protesters were however dispersed by men of the Joint Military Task Force stationed at Bomadi.
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Ex-militants shut Delta road over unpaid allowances
Ex-militants shut Delta road over unpaid allowances
NigerianEye
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Monday, July 18, 2011
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