Ex-militants in the Niger-Delta, have raised an alarm over an alleged hijacking of part of the 2015 stipends budget by the Amnesty Office in Abuja.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos, spokesman of the ex-agitators, Mr. Olotu Pella, said that during the protest by some ex-militants with some banks last year, the affected banks decided to return their stipends to the Central Bank of Nigeria, but some Amnesty Office staff, allegedly hijacked the funds for themselves.
He said: “Today, if we call the Central Bank for the returned funds (stipends), officials will tell you that the stipends had been released to Amnesty Office and if you call Amnesty Office, they will say Central Bank is yet to return the money.
“How can 2015 budgeted stipends remain in Central Bank as at July 2016? If it is true, it tells you the kind of leadership, the amnesty has.
“Is the amnesty officials waiting for the affected camps in the returned money saga to blow-up pipelines before they will act?
“What type of leadership do we have in Amnesty Office that is yet to complete 2015 budget issue with Central Bank and they are boasting of going to the creek to dialogue with ex-militants over the Avengers threat?”