By Emmanuel Nduka
The Office of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has dismissed allegations of corruption and fraud imputing in the disbursement of funds to the PAP Cooperative.
Freston Akpor, SA Media to the PAP Interim Administrator in a statement issued on Monday, said the allegations are clearly a “figment of the imagination of the newsmaker who intends to use the media to achieve malicious ends only known to him”.
“The attention of the Presidential Amnesty Programme has been drawn to a press conference held by one Friday Iko urging anti graft and related agencies to investigate the PAP over alleged corruption and imputing fraud in the disbursement of funds to the PAP Cooperative.
“Iko had among other issues alleged that “some members of staff in the office are receiving huge amounts for welfare ranging between 15 to 10 million Naira for monthly running cost”.
“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,” the Amnesty Office said.
“As a national security programme, the PAP under General Ndiomu has been ethical and above board in discharging its mandate of ensuring peace and stability in the Niger Delta region. The PAP therefore wish to call on the security agencies to arrest those spreading falsehood to undermine the peace in the region. 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,” the statement added.
