Coalition of militant groups from six states of the Niger Delta have joined the call for the removal of the interim administrator of Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, Maj Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu (Rtd), declaring that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not renew his tenure, and immediately kick Ndiomu out of the office.
The coalition, made up of the dreaded Supreme Egbesu Freedom Fighters of Niger Delta, Niger Delta Creek Dragon Militant Group and Niger Delta Anti-Corruption Network on Monday warned that any attempt for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to renew the tenure of Maj Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu (Rtd), as interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) may lead to total breakdown of law and order in the Niger Delta and eventually lead to shutting down of all major oil facilities in the creeks of the region.
The militant groups, through their leaders and commanders, General Agadagba 1, AKA River Don ( Supreme Egbesu Freedom Fighters of Niger Delta), Gen Osuopele AKA Red Scorpion (Niger Delta Creek Dragon) and General Ebis AKA Thunder (Niger Delta Anti-corruption Network), argued that Ndiomu’s tenure had long elapsed and does not have any fresh appointment letter from the presidency, therefore he is supposed not to continue as the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty, and for Ndiomu to still remain in that office to act in such capacity is illegal and needed to be shown the way out without further delay.
The coalition of the militant groups in the creek issued after an emergency meeting along the waterways and creeks of Bayelsa State, also alleged that there has been financial misappropriation and diversion of resources meant for the programme by Ndiomu, and called for strong investigation and prosecution of Ndiomu’s tenure and should be thrown out of the amnesty office Immediately.
The statement reads in part, “Our crucial and critical meeting in one of the creeks of Bayelsa state was basically to x-ray the President Bola Tinubu’s administration on the direction it wants to place the Presidential Amnesty Programme on a journey to overhaul and total reformation and what value his government is going to add to ex-militants including the entire development of the Niger Delta region.
“However, we resolved that the first task and demand is that President Tinubu should sack the current interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Mr Barry Ndiomu immediately without wasting time.
“Ndiomu who is a core supporter of the PDP, who also released a lot of resources to support former vice president ATIKU Abubakar, the presidential candidate of PDP through a former NSA, who is also a chieftain of the PDP and a close ally to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar against the candidate of APC Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last Presidential election and we have it on good authority that Ndiomu never supported Bola Ahmed Tinubu neither wanted his victory at the last February 25 presidential election.
“The Niger Delta Dreaded Militant Group, Supreme Egbesu Freedom Fighters of Niger Delta with the Niger Delta Creek Dragon Militant Group and Niger Delta Anti-Corruption Network will no longer sit and watch and fold our arms in the creek to allow Ndiomu continue stay in that office because it is illegal and unacceptable to us, for the fact that his tenure has elapsed before now, which he knows very well even before President Tinubu was elected and inaugurated on May 29, 2023.
“We will not take it anymore for him to be there because we are not blind or illiterates for one man to play on the intelligence of a whole region and continue to embezzle the Amnesty Program funds to himself and his cronies to feed fat.
“The Militant group, Supreme Egbesu Freedom Fighters of Niger Delta with the Niger Delta Creek Dragon Militant Group and Niger Delta Anti-corruption Network, a group made up of young intellectuals with stakeholders of like minds from the region and anti-corruption crusaders with agitating militant leaders in the creek of Bayelsa state.
“One of the issues bothering the people of the region that may set the region on fire any moment from now if not properly handled by Mr President, is the long stay of the present Amnesty Program Interim Administrator, Maj Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu (Rtd), whose appointment has elapsed and expired, and long overdue for removal before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sworn in as Commander in Chief.
“His capacity to galvanize the programme is lacking, hence there is no ongoing training program for the Amnesty beneficiaries since Ndiomu was appointed, and the entire program is on standstill since Barry Ndiomu took over the Amnesty office.
“He has no single idea to manage that office neither to move the program forward, he had also refused to pay most of the contractors under the Programme despite they are due for payment, rather making frivolous payments to his family and selected allies with cronies in an agreement of remittance of some amount of percentage through his associates.
“We want to emphatically state that if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would not remove Ndiomu and replace him with a competent hand from the region, who has sacrificed, laboured and played a major role in his emergence as President and Commander In Chief in the last presidential election from the region to be appointed As Special Adviser To Mr President On Niger Delta, and Chairman Presidential Amnesty program, “We have no other choice than to shutdown all major oil facilities in the creeks, and bring crude oil production in the creeks of Niger Delta to standstill.
We are not going to give any ultimatum to this decision, because Ndiomu’s continued stay in that office is a threat to the existing prevailing peace in the Niger Delta region, and Ndiomu should be thrown out of that office with Immediate effect without wasting time, his corrupt activities and non-competency in handling the Amnesty Program is now becoming unbearable, and nobody should blame us or call us for any form of dialogue, if eventually we carry on with our threat regards to this effect.
Meanwhile, The Supreme Egbesu Freedom Fighters of Niger Delta and the other militant groups have accused the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Rt, Hon Femi Gbajabiamiala, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, and the Aid De Camp to the President, Lt Col Nurudeen Alonwale Yusuf, of unholy alliance with the Interim Administrator of the Amnesty Program, over moves to convince Mr President to extend the tenure of Ndiomu. This is condemnable, annoying and provocative,
“Such unholy alliance of these men in the Bola Ahmed Tinubu cabinet in the presidency with a man who mobilized and released a lot of resources to work against the candidature of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and opposed to his victory in the last presidential election is shameful,
condemnable, barbaric, a complete disgrace, an insult and a mockery to the office of Mr President and the entire APC as a ruling party.
