The Presidential Amnesty Office welcomes probe, not blackmail

…Ex-militants back Buhari’s peace plan for N-Delta

By Soni Daniel and Yinka Ajayi

The Presidential Amnesty Office says it is not afraid of a “faceless group” demanding a probe of its activities, being  a public institution.

However, the Presidential Amnesty Office explained that it objected to the group’s follow-up blackmail of its supervising officers, the leadership and families. “If in truth this group wants a probe, it ordinarily would wait for the response of the authorities it has petitioned and the outcome of the probe”, the body said in a statement, yesterday.

“To proceed to call for so-called protests in and outside the country until the leadership of the Presidential Amnesty Programme is replaced, is to pronounce guilt even before any investigation is carried out or the officials are given any chance to respond to the load of unsubstantiated claims. This is against the laws of natural justice, our national and international laws and ethics which give every human being the fundamental right to defend himself before a competent authority or court of law’’.

Meanwhile, former militant leaders under the Presidential Amnesty Programme have thrown their weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s peace and development initiatives for the Niger Delta.

Besides, they opted  to join hands with the administration to advance the cause of transforming the region into a modern economic hub in the country so as to create opportunities for all.

These were the decisions reached when the ex-militant leaders, under Phases  Two and  Three, held a crucial meeting with the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (retd) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that the crucial meeting was aimed at peace-building and conflict resolution among the groups and the Amnesty office.

Boroh, who chaired the meeting, said it was imperative for the leaders to meet regularly with officials of the Amnesty Programme in order to share ideas, make observations and proffer solutions.

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