Amnesty Programme Leaders Dismiss Oil Shutdown Threat

Leaders of beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) have rejected a recent threat by a group of alleged Itsekiri ex-agitators to shut down oil production in the Niger Delta, describing the group as unrecognised and not part of the official PAP structure.

The national chairman of PAP Phase 2, Ibena Rufus Salvation, said the publication making the threat was misleading and did not represent genuine beneficiaries captured in the programme’s data system.

He stressed that the PAP administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, deals only with verified beneficiaries.

Ibena urged all legitimate beneficiaries to continue supporting Otuaro, saying the administrator has shown capacity in managing the programme.

He added that beneficiaries are hopeful of more opportunities and benefits under the current leadership.

He also used the opportunity to alert security agencies to remain vigilant, warning that any attempt to carry out threats against oil facilities would be unlawful and pledged their support for security agencies in maintaining peace in the Niger Delta.

The national chairman maintain that the claims of exclusion are not coming from recognized members of the programme and reaffirmed their support for the current administration of the amnesty scheme.

The Delta State chairman of PAP Phase 2, Solomon Adu, and the Bayelsa State chairman of PAP Phase 2, Dengo Benin, also aligned with the national leadership, dismissing the ultimatum as baseless.

They said no recognised Itsekiri beneficiaries had complained about marginalisation in the programme.

The leaders described those threatening to disrupt oil production as “jokers,” insisting that such actions do not reflect the position of genuine ex-agitators who are part of the PAP.