Former leaders of the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) yesterday told the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Gen. Paul Boroh, to continue with his probe of the programme.
The ex-militant commanders insisted that the ongoing verification of beneficiaries of the programme, which the new helmsman is carrying out, was the right thing to do.
The former leaders, who spoke under the auspices of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), urged the PAP coordinator not to be deterred by those mounting pressure on him to stop the probe.
The OPCDI leader, Pastor Reuben Wilson, who spoke in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, said the verification would sanitise and strengthen the programme as well as settle the inclusion of ex-militants purportedly disarmed under the Third Phase of the programme.
He said: “The verification will determine genuine beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, particularly those who formed the Third Phase of the programme, as it will sanitise and strengthen the pact the more.
“We, the ex-agitators, wish to let Brig.-Gen. Boroh know that he has our full backing on this bold initiative and he should not be deterred in his mandate of implementing the PAP to the letter.
“We urge Brig.-Gen. Boroh to rally round the leadership of ex-agitators for inputs by having a meeting with Ebikabowei Victor-Ben (aka General Boyloaf) and others on how best to handle the impasse caused because of the delay in the payment of stipends and allowances, among other lingering issues being faced by those in foreign institutions.”