Amnesty fraud: 23 unpaid beneficiaries from Ayakoromo community beg FG for intervention

Twenty-three beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in Obribenghan Camp of Ayakoromo in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State have cried out to the Federal Government to rescue them from hardship and bondage.

They said the hardship and bondage their families were currently going through was due to the alleged refusal of one Comrade Joseph Eva to pay their monthly N65, 000 stipends since 2012.

The beneficiaries, who staged a brief protest in Warri, on Monday, alleged that Comrade Eva, who’s their camp leader, has refused to pay them their monthly stipends amid all entreaties by stakeholders.

Four of the aggrieved 23 beneficiaries, Oweikeyou Ayafor, Ebiared Kwane, Famous Buhari and Dauyeibo Ebarede, while speaking, said all efforts to dialogue with Comrade Eva in order to offset the backlog of the stipends, through a mediator, Hon. Mislaw Ganren, proved abortive.

They added that after some of them went to protest in Lagos and Abuja, Mr Eva, who became disturbed, requested they should submit their bank account details to one Chief Bade at Bomadi for onward payment.

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They also stated that Mr Eva insisted that they should go to their various banks and check their account balance, insisting that he had earlier credited their accounts.

According to them, on getting there, they discovered that no money had been paid into their accounts, adding that after informing Mr Eva, he has yet to do the needful in the payment of their amnesty stipends since 2012 till date.

The complainants also disclosed that in order to pressure Mr Eva to release their amnesty stipends, which is their only source of empowerment from the FG, they approached an Ijaw music icon, Barr. Soja Smooth, who’s a friend of Eva, to intervene.

Eva, according to them, eventually gave Barr Smooth N500, 000 to offset part of the backlogs of the stipends owed the beneficiaries but has allegedly refused to continue payments thereafter.

The affected amnesty beneficiaries, who were led by Mr Buhari, said Mr Eva has plunged them and their families into untold hardships and should be removed from heading the Obribenghan camp in order to halt any unforeseen youth unrest in the area.

They wondered that while the Federal Government is making all efforts to sustain the amnesty programme and develop the Niger Delta region, Mr Eva seems to be out to frustrate the efforts of the FG.

Meanwhile, Mr Eva, said to be based in Lagos, could not be reached by phone for reaction on the issue as of the time of filing this report.

However, a brother-in-law of Mr Eva, Ebiare Kwame from Ayakoromo, who’s also being owed his amnesty stipends from November 2011 till date, confirmed that Mr Eva has blatantly refused to pay them their amnesty stipends, urging the FG to intervene.

“Eva married my half-sister from Ayakoromo community. Enough is enough. He’s been sitting on our amnesty money since 2011.

“I’m his in-law, but I must tell the world that he’s been unfair to me and other boys he’s owing. The FG must intervene and collect our money for us,” Kwame pleaded.