Tension is currently brewing in the riverine community of Bolowou, Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State following the alleged non payment of the N65,000 monthly Amnesty stipend to at least, twenty five beneficiaries of the scheme.
The victims have accused 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.
They said Ajube was punishing them over their refusal to support the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in the November 26 governorship election in Ondo state.
Ajube, a PDP chieftain, reportedly donated handsomely to the party just as he bought a bullet proof GMG Jeep to the party’s governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede for his campaigns.
The aggrieved ex-militants, in a statement signed by two of them Jamin Wariebi and Lubi Timiakirimni on behalf of others threatened to embark on a peaceful protest on Wednesday this week at Bolowou if their allowances remained unpaid before then.
They said Ajube delisted their names at the Amnesty Office, Abuja with the active collaboration of the coordinator, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd).
”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.
”Ajube has carried out this threat to the extent that he has barred operatives of his security outfit, Gallery and their relatives from attending the community ‘s only church on the ground that the spiritual leader, Most Rev Epistle Jemine did not also support Jegede.
“That is why most of us whose stipends he has stopped are either family members of the spiritual leader or those related to the immediate past chairman of Ese-Odo Local Government Area, Hon Akpoebi Lubi.
”Therefore, we give a notice of 42 hours to all security agencies to prevail on the relevant authorities, especially the Amnesty Office to pay our legitimate stipends failure which we shall embark on a ceaseless peaceful demonstration at Bolowou until our demand is met.
Some of the affected victims and their bank details include:
LUBI TIMIAKIRIMINI..A/c No 5272015063.Eco Bank:Code C01/B05/A4/06744:,LUBI MANPASSMAN:A/C:5272017586..Eco Bank:Code:C01/B05/A4/06/06736:,JEMINE WARIEBI..A/c No 5272013636..Eco Bank:Code C01/B06/B2/08063., JEMINE KIMIEGBE:A/C:5272011735.Eco Bank:CODE:C02/B07/D5/09786:,JEMINE INIEBIDI:A/C:5272014891:CODE:C01/B06/B2/08060:,JEMINE HOSSANAH VICTOR:A/C:5272013052.Ecobank:,AMULUKU BIKUMOH:A/C:5272011711 Eco Bank:,AMULUKU ILAYEKEKE:A/C:5272016376 Eco Bank:,AMULUKU JOHN:A/C:5272011649 and ITANI OLAOLUWA:A/C:52720141, Ecobank.
But when contacted, Ajube confirmed the allegation, saying 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.
He noted that 25 victims lied by claiming that they worked for APC during last governorship election because they were loyalists of Chief Olusola Oke of the Alliance for Democracy(AD).
He said “I have been sincered to my people on this issue of Amnesty and that is why I also directed the Amnesty office to pay directly to 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”.
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