Former agitators of the now defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) have warned politicians to stay away from the Presidential Amnesty Office unless their involvements are in tandem with the mandate of the peace of the Niger Delta.
The warning contained in a statement by the spokesman of the Western zonal spokesman, Captain Loveday Angokuro, followed threat by the Senate to issue a warrant of arrest on the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Col. Milland Dikio (retd).
Chairman Senate Committee on Public Account, Matthew Urhogbide, had on Sunday, threatened that Dikio risked being arrested following his alleged failure to appear before the Senate.
But the ex Agitators said: “The so-called threat by the Senator, to the best of our knowledge, is a personal and ego mission. He and his co travelers are on a personal vendatta which is the result of a failed attempt to extract highly unreasonable favours from the Amnesty Office. To the best of our knowledge, the current Interim Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Col. Milland Dikio has successfully piloted the affairs of the office since he assumed leadership of the PAP.
“Col. Dikio has changed the narrative to the best of his ability while not compromising standards. Therefore, the allegation by the Senator that the Interim Administrator shunned the Senate Committee on Public Accounts is not correct. From our findings, the said Senator made series of private attempts to see the Interim Administrator with a view to having some assistance as party primaries were being awaited. However, the attempts were rebuffed because Col. Dikio saw no wisdom in dishing out cash to politicians through the Amnesty Office. The same effects were heightened soon after the primary elections but the response of the Interim Administrator was not different even after several interventions through respected individuals who sought some positive support for Senator Urhogbide. We, therefore, urge Senator Urhogbide to act with caution and not visit his failure at the last Senatorial primary in Edo State on the Amnesty coordinator. The Presidential Amnesty Programme is not an ATM for politicians to replenish their pockets after failing to achieve their desires.”