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N1.9 billion Fraud Rocks Amnesty Office

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N1.9 billion Fraud Rocks Amnesty Office

By: Michael Mike

The Presidential Amnesty Office is being rocked by a raging controversy over N1.9 billion deducted from trainees and beneficiaries of the programme.

Investigations revealed that the alleged fraud involves the office of the Head of Reintegration of the office.

The N1.9 billion were alleged to have been deducted from contracts that were executed under the Train, Employ and Mentor Programme initiated by a former Interim Administrator, Col Dikio.

Under the TIEM, the beneficiaries of the programme were to be trained, employed and mentored to prevent them from straying after the programme.

Investigations revealed that when General Ndiomu (Retd.) took over, there were 1,200 delegates in training which he stopped. He was said to have conducted graduation for all of them as he was under instruction to bring the programme to an end.

It was gathered that the contracts were renegotiated and the Reintegration Department removed the ‘Employ and Mentor’ component with the promise that the beneficiaries would be outrightly empowered.

It was gathered that the Integration Office deducted funds from the contracts and kept N1.9 billion meant to empower the delegates.

After waiting endlessly for the outright empowerment, the beneficiaries and office staff are complaining that the N1.9 billion component deducted from the contracts have been diverted by the office.

Investigations revealed that the contractors include Bradama International Skill Works Limited (400 delegates), Sunup Logistics Limited (200) delegates, Krisdera Agro Allied FArms, (200 delegates), Teecentenel Nigeria Limited (110), Betrieb Limited (50,) and Vika Farms Limited.

Some delegates under Krisdera Agro Allied Farms and Teecentennel Nigeria Limited that were interviewed are pointing accusing finger in the direction of the Head of Reintegration.

After renegotiating with the contractors, deducted a substantial amount from the contract sum, they went to the various training Centres to offer each delegate 750k to completely delist them from the Amnesty Programme.

The delegates collectively rejected the said amount. The office promised to get back to them but all to no avail. The amount deducted from the negotiations with the contractors is N1.9 billion.

They claim he was responsible for the mastery around delay or disappearance of their Two Months In-Training Allowance which had earlier been paid by the Office to the contractor for onward disbursement to the delegates.

Our investigation revealed that instruction was given to the contractors to withhold the money since the delegates did not complete the eight months they were initially required to spend.

That money has not be returned to the government coffers.

It was further gathered that the Head of the Amnesty Office has directed the security unit to seize the phones of Amnesty staff for investigation because of the purported “leakage of information” and his clash with Chief Timipre Sylva. The investigation commenced today two weeks ago

Penultimate week, all the staff of the office were made to tender their phone for scrutiny by the Head of the office.

Some of the delegates who resisted it move and threatened to file a case against the office were redeployed.

The meeting held in December 2022 and since then the delegates have been kept waiting.

There are fears that the money may have been diverted.

Some of the delegates who came to protest in Abuja were molested with military personnel with military tanks temporarily hired by Indiomu to stop the delegates at all cost.

The concerned delegates who fear they might not receive the money are calling on the office of the NSA which supervises the PAP to look into the books of the agencies.

When contacted on the phone of the allegations, the spokesman of the Office, Freston Akpo said: “The allegation is frivolous and unfounded. It is part of ongoing smear campaign in the media to discredit the interim administrator and his team.”

N1.9 billion Fraud Rocks Amnesty Office

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Troops clear bandits’ camps, rescue victims, recover arms in Bauchi

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Troops clear bandits’ camps, rescue victims, recover arms in Bauchi

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops under Operation WUTAN DAJI have cleared several bandits’ camps, rescued kidnapped victims and recovered arms during clearance operations in Bauchi State.

Security sources said troops of 33 Artillery Brigade Garrison, in conjunction with elements of the Brigade Headquarters and a team from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), carried out the operation in Kumbodoro forest and Kumbodoro village.

According to the sources, the operation was led by the Commander, 33 Artillery Brigade, Brig.-Gen. S.S. Shehu, as part of ongoing efforts to rid the area of criminal elements.

They added that several bandits’ camps, including Azuge camps, were cleared during the operation, while a number of the criminals were neutralised.

Items recovered include four skeletal rifles, four dane guns, two pairs of boots, three helmets, a power bank, a Startimes decoder, one FN rifle magazine, one AK-47 magazine, communication links, a jackknife, six mobile phones, arrows, radio chargers, ATM cards, photographs, identity cards, as well as several pairs of security agency uniforms and leg chains.

The sources further disclosed that eight kidnapped victims were rescued during the operation.

They said troops are currently holding position within the Kumbodoro forest to consolidate gains from the clearance mission.

In a related development, the sources said troops deployed at Duguri, in collaboration with local vigilantes, recovered 36 cows at Mushen Kura village following information that the animals were roaming the area.

“The cows are suspected to have fled from bandits’ camps due to the ongoing operations and are currently in custody for further action,” the sources said.

They noted that troops’ morale and combat efficiency remain high, while operations continue to deny bandits freedom of action in the region.

Troops clear bandits’ camps, rescue victims, recover arms in Bauchi

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Joint security forces raid herders’ camp in Rivers, recover arms and ammunition

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Joint security forces raid herders’ camp in Rivers, recover arms and ammunition

By: Zagazola Makama

Joint security operatives under the Joint Task Force, South-South, Operation Delta Safe, have raided a suspected herders’ camp in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, recovering arms and ammunition.

Security sources said the operation was carried out at about 1:30 p.m. on April 12 along the IPO community axis by troops of 6 Division Garrison in collaboration with personnel of the Air Force, Navy, Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and Civil Defence Corps.

According to the sources, the raid targeted identified herders’ and cattle rearers’ camps in the area.

They added that items recovered during the operation include one AK-47 rifle, one pump-action gun, 274 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and four mobile phones.

The sources noted that the operation is part of ongoing efforts to curb illegal possession of firearms and enhance security across the Niger Delta region.

Joint security forces raid herders’ camp in Rivers, recover arms and ammunition

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Zulum establishes quarry centre, procures 70 trucks for infrastructure development

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Zulum establishes quarry centre, procures 70 trucks for infrastructure development

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has announced the establishment of a quarry centre in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area, to accelerate infrastructure development in the state.

Zulum made this announcement on Monday while flagging off the distribution of 70 brand-new Howo pickup trucks to the Ministry of Works and the State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA) at the Government House.

The 70 Howo trucks are designed to boost the operational capacity of the Ministry of Works and its supervising agencies. The trucks will enable the swift delivery of materials to sites and faster intervention on distressed roads.

According to the governor, the quarry centre will provide locally sourced materials including granite, gravel and sharp sand to support ongoing and future road projects, reducing dependence on external suppliers and cutting costs.

“We have achieved a lot in health, education, agriculture, security, and road construction among others. However, we still have challenges of constructing roads within the state, especially in rural communities,” Zulum said.

“My administration has established a quarry plant in Pulka with a processing capacity of 120 tons per hour. The State Government spent at least 3 billion to establish the quarry plant”, he added.

According to the governor, due to the prevailing insecurity, most contractors are not willing to work in Borno.

“You know, no serious contractor will take the risk of deploying his equipment to most of the implementing areas, so this is the reason we are here”, the governor reinstated.

“So, we have no option but to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Works, the capacity of Borno State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA), the capacity of special projects, monitoring departments and other MDAs that are responsible for road construction.”

The brief ceremony was attended by the Secretary to Borno State Government, Bukar Tijani, Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works, Engr Baware, BORMA Chairman, Engr Sadu Auno, the Special Adviser on Monitoring and Evaluation, Engr Bukar Gujubawu and other senior officials.

Zulum establishes quarry centre, procures 70 trucks for infrastructure development

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