Crisis imminent in Niger Delta as group alleges corruption in Amnesty Programme, seeks travel ban on Boroh, others

The restive Niger Delta area will continue to witness more unrest and agitations despite billions of naira already expended by the Federal Government on its Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) unless  government ceases to ignore strident cries for a complete and immediate overhaul of the programme.
A group, Voice of Niger Delta Youths (VNDY), also declared that PAP “is already a veritable conduit for fraud, high-handedness and a complete negation of the original intentions for which it was founded”.
Specifically, the group in a statement by its spokesperson, Tonye Goodwill, while decrying the widespread flagrant abuse of the programme by the Brigadier-General Paul Boroh (rtd)  led amnesty programme and his Chief Security Officer (CSO) and personal aide, Lt. Col Olusegun Okungbure, regretted that the duo now boast that they have the ears of the Presidency, as such they were above scrutiny and, therefore, untouchable.
It stated that it may, in line with the governments of both the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom’s recent refusal and cancellation of travel visas to top military officials in Nigeria, seek international travel ban against the Boroh-led leadership of the PAP should the federal government continue to foot drag on the burning ills plaguing the programmes occasioned by widespread corruption and allegations of having top government officials in their pockets.
According to Goodwill: “It is very worrisome that despite series of protests and copious documentary evidences that various stakeholders in the Niger Delta have raised and made available to all the various anti-graft agencies in Nigeria about the unwholesome practices and flagrant abuses of the programme against General Boroh and his cohort in handling the PAP, the Federal Government has continued to treat the matter of beaming its searchlights on the activities of the Amnesty programme with lackadaisical attitude. To us who are stakeholders in the Niger Delta and close watchers of events, this speaks volumes and is in tandem with the loud boasts of Boroh that he has the ears of the high and mighty in the Presidency and as such nothing would happen to him.
“What is happening now is widespread and open corruption, while General Boroh and his CSO have embarked, with impunity, on the intimidation and flagrant abuse of the fundamental human rights of our people who dare to raise their voices against him over the lopsidedness and glaring fraud in the Amnesty office by instilling fear into them with a view to cowing them into submission.
“As of now, over 3000 Amnesty delegates presently studying in Nigerian Universities are still being owed their monthly stipends since February this year while Boroh has just hurriedly paid the offshore students their monthly stipends in order to frustrate a globally-planned protest against his corruption activities being currently organised by the Niger Deltans for Accountability and Good Governance (NGAGG) all over the world.”
The Voice of the Niger Dealt Youths, while lamenting that despite the fact that most of the participants in the programme were yet to be paid and with no hope in sight, the Amnesty programme boss has just approved a 17-man delegate to visit Belarus, United Kingdom and the United States to attend the graduation ceremonies of some of its offshore delegates, it also regretted that the huge amount of money that would be paid as travelling allowances and estacodes for the delegates would conveniently pay about three months stipends of the over 3,000 Amnesty delegates studying in Nigerian universities whom PAP had refused to pay since February, 2017.
The group in calling on the immediate overhaul and sacking of the PAP leadership under Gen. Boroh urged  the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo, to, as a matter of urgency and, in line with the much-vaunted policy of this government to stamp out corruption to make lie of the following boasts of the PAP leadership namely: that it has the ears of the Presidency, the offices of the National Security Adviser to the Presidency, the Minister of Finance and to, as a matter of urgency, stop the travelling of the 17-man delegate to Europe and America and pay instead the stipends of the Amnesty delegates studying in Nigerian Universities. 
Should the Federal Government continue to foot drag on the matter, the VNGY while threatening to continue its agitations for a corrupt-free Amnesty programme and the immediate replacement of Boroh, vowed to utilize its global contacts to immediately petition the United Kingdom Foreign Ministry and the United States Department and governments within the European Union not to issue any travel visa but cancel or revoke all visas issued to both Gen. Boroh and Lt. Col Okungbure and to ensure that they receive life ban if possible.
Efforts to get the reaction of the PAP ‘s spokesperson, Mr Owei Lakemfa proved abortive as he was said to have travelled while calls placed to his cellphone were unanswered.
However, sources within the organisation debunked the allegations saying that the PAP was being run very transparently.
They added that “issues of non payment of stipends to delegates in varsities in Nigeria are being addressed”.