EFCC, ICPC Urged To Probe Amnesty Office

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC), have been urged to investigate the Presidential Amnesty Office for alleged massive corruption and fraud going on there.

This is even as stakeholders and other persons from the Niger Delta region have also called on other anti-graft agencies and indeed the supervisory office, the National Security Adviser to look into how the N5.4 billion monthly allocation to the office is being spent.

Addressing journalists over the weekend, one Friday Iko alleged that certain members of staff in the office of the interim administrator of the Amnesty Office are being paid huge amounts for welfare and said there was a need for the anti-graft agency to look into this.

Iko said the offices of the head of Reintegration receives N15 per month, the head of Procurement also receives N15 million, while the office of the head of administration gets N10 million for just running cost per month.

It was further stated that the heads of protocol, Audit and the aides of the interim administrator receive the same N10 million for welfare.

Another area of investigation for the anti-graft agency is the allegations that the directors of administration and audit, who were posted from the office of Head of Service were dropped for retired civil servants because they raised concern over the curious financial deployments in the office.

Iko also urged the federal government to investigate the cooperate system of the Amnesty office, alleging that the office removed N500 million every month for a suspicious cooperative system.

When contacted for reaction, the spokesperson of the Presidential Amnesty Office, Freston Akpo, did not respond to the allegations after reading them.

It would be recalled that shortly before the end of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the then National Security Adviser, Gen Babagana Monguno made moves to shut down the amnesty programme which was resisted by the leaders and people of the Niger Delta.

When Barry Ndiomu was appointed, he said he was at the office with a mandate to wind down the programme but the situation and tension in the region made it impossible for him to abruptly bring the programme to an end