Some former militants from Bolowou community in Ese-Edo local government area of Ondo State Sunday, raised the alarm over nonpayment of their N65,000 monthly Amnesty stipend.
They expressed their frustration through a statement in Akure.
The ex-militants, numbering 25 said they became worried when they were not paid their last month stipend, whereas other beneficiaries of the scheme in the council received alerts on their bank accounts.
Theb ex-agitators alleged that they were being victimised because of their support for the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN during the last year November 26, Governorship election in the state.
The area has always been a stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but the council was won by APC during the last gubernatorial poll.
They also alleged that the former western fringe commander of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Mr. Bibopere Ajube, alias General Shoot at Sight, as the mastermind of the stoppage of their allowances.
The statement which was jointly signed by two of the ex-militants, Jamin Wariebi and Lubi Timiakirimni said Ajube was punishing them over their refusal to support the governorship candidate of the PDP, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede SAN in the November 26 governorship election in Ondo state.
They therefore threatened to embark on a peaceful protest on Wednesday this week at Bolowou if their allowances remained unpaid before then, adding that Ajube delisted their names at the Amnesty Office, Abuja after meeting with top officers at the office.
The statement reads in part ”We are worried and constrained to alert the nation that a former MEND commander, Bibopere Ajube, aka General Shoot at Sight has stopped the payment of our N65,000 monthly stipends with the collaborating of the programme’s ccordinator, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd).
“All other beneficiaries of the programme have been paid last week, but to our surprise, ours was not and we were informed by competent sources at the Amnesty Office that Ajube went to coordinator to delist us from the programme and has already replaced us with persons who were not even captured in the programme.
”From all indications, our ordeal is not unconnected with our refusal to support his preferred governorship candidate in the last election in Ondo state, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN.
“Since the election, Ajube has threatened to deal with all those who worked for the APC candidate and now governor, Rotimi Akeredolu”.
But when contacted, Ajube confirmed the allegation, positing that he has given their slots to those who were genuine ex-militants.
He warned them to stop linking their ordeal with the last governorship election in the state, insisting that they will never benefit from the scheme again because they are not ex-militants.
Ajube noted that the 25 victims lied by claiming that they work for APC during last governorship election because they were loyalists of Chief Olusola Oke of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).
“I have been sincered to my people on this issue of Amnesty and that is why I always directed the Amnesty office to pay directly into the boys’ accounts on like my colleagues, who will ask the office to pay into their accounts and later share the money to their boys.
“We will ensure only those genuine ex-militants will continue to benefit from the scheme and those 25 will never benefit from scheme because they are not ex-militants,” he said.
