Niger Delta Coalition of Militant Groups have joined the call for the removal of the Interim Administrator of Presidential Amnesty Programme(PAP), Maj. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (Rtd), declaring that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not renew his tenure, and immediately kick him out of office.
The Coalition warned that any attempt for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to renew the tenure of Maj. Gen. Ndiomu may lead to total breakdown of law and order in the Niger Delta and eventually lead to shutting down of all major oil facilities in the creeks of the region.
The groups, through their leaders and commanders, ‘General’ Agadagba 1 (aka River Don) Supreme Egbesu Freedom Fighters of Niger Delta; ‘Gen.’ Osuopele (aka Red Scorpion) Niger Delta Creek Dragon and ‘General’ Ebis (aka Thunder) Niger Delta Anti-Corruption Network argued that “Ndiomu’s tenure had long elapsed and he does not have any fresh appointment letter from the Presidency.
“Therefore he is supposed not to continue as the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. For him to still remain in office and act in such capacity is illegal and he needs to be shown the way out without further delay.”
They also alleged that there has been financial misappropriation and diversion of resources meant for the Programme by Ndiomu, and called for strong investigation of his tenure and that he should be prosecuted and thrown out of the amnesty office immediately.
The statement reads in part, “Our crucial and critical meeting in one of the creeks of Bayelsa State was basically to x-ray the President Bola Tinubu’s administration on the direction it wants to place the Presidential Amnesty Programme on a journey to overhaul and total reformation and what value his government is going to add on ex-militants including the entire development of the Niger Delta region.
“However, we resolved that the first task and demand is that President Tinubu should sack the current Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, General Barry Ndiomu(rtd) immediately without wasting time.
“Ndiomu, who is a core supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), released a lot of resources to support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of PDP through a former NSA, who is also a chieftain of the PDP and a close ally to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar against the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last Presidential election.
“We have it on good authority that Ndiomu never supported Tinubu in the Presidential election of February 25th, 2023.
“We will no longer sit and watch and fold our arms in the creek to allow Ndiomu to continue to stay in office because it is illegal and unacceptable to us. For the fact that his tenure has elapsed before now, which he knows very well even before President Tinubu was elected and inaugurated on May 29th, 2023.
“We will not take it anymore for him to be there because we are not blind or illiterates for one man to play on the intelligence of a whole region and continue to embezzle the Amnesty Program funds.
“His capacity to galvanize the Programme is lacking, hence there is no ongoing training program for the Amnesty beneficiaries since Ndiomu was appointed, and the entire program is on standstill,” the groups submitted.
Niger Delta militant groups threaten to shutdown oil facilities over Ndiomu
