Amnesty Programme Flays Call for EFCC’s Probe into Alleged Cooperative Funds

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja 

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has flayed the call to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and related agencies to investigate the PAP over alleged corruption and fraud in the disbursement of funds to the PAP cooperative.

The SA Media, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Freston Akpor, issued the denunciation in a statement Monday.

The rebuttal followed the call by critics who urged the anti-graft agency to investigate alleged fraud in the disbursement of funds to the PAP cooperative. 

The critics led by Friday Iko, had among other issues, alleged that some members of staff in the office were receiving huge amounts for welfare ranging between N10- N15 million for monthly running cost.

In the statement, Akpor described the monies mentioned as a figment of the imagination of the newsmaker who intended to use the media to achieve malicious ends only known to him.

“The allegations are not only false but also baseless and a calculated attempt to commence another round of a smear campaign against the Interim Administrator and his dedicated management team by forces from within and outside the office.

“The PAP has conducted a background check on the purported newsmaker and has found no person of note with that name or identity. The media is therefore advised to be circumspect in allowing personalities bearing pseudonyms to use their platforms to broadcast or publish such mischief as they (media houses) could be in the cross hair of possible litigations,” Akpor said.

He said that as a national security programme, the PAP under Gen. Barry Ndiomu (rtd) has been ethical and above board in discharging its mandate of ensuring peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.

He also called on the security agencies to arrest those spreading falsehood to undermine the peace in the region, saying the PAP will also not hesitate to bring charges against those who employ such falsehood in order to defame the chief executive and hardworking staff of the programme.