Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Thursday summoned Head of Presidential Amnesty Office, Prof Charles Dokubo, to appear before it over allegations of diversion of amnesty slots and failure to pay N492m as accruable stipends to 75 ex-militants in Niger Delta.
The court presided over by Justice Awogboro Abimbola, also ordered that Dokubo appears before her on October 4, 2019, with Director of Finance and Accounts in the Amnesty Office, Mr Isaac Ityohuma.
Also summoned is Head of Re-integration in the Presidential Amnesty Office, Mr Aroloye Brown.
The 75 ex-militants, who accepted the Presidential Amnesty in 2010, had dragged Dokubo to court for diverting their slots and accruable stipends since 2011.
The militants, led by Mr Clinton Oroupade, are demanding payment from January 2011 to May 2019.
The ex-militants under the Benuwolo camp in the 2nd phase of the amnesty scheme, brought the action before a Federal High Court in Yenagoa
At the inaugural hearing on Thursday, Oroupade told the trial Judge, Abimbola, that the group were documented and allocated 75 slots but received no stipends afterwards.
He tendered several documents and agreements and affidavits from prior efforts by the Amnesty Office to resolve the issue by reverting 10 of the 75 slots before the court.
The Amnesty Office defence team led by Mr Tamaratarei Ali-Bozi did not object to the documents tendered.
The ex-agitators urged the court to declare that the alleged fraudulent manipulation of the 75 slots allotted to Benuwolo camp by officials of the Amnesty Office in connivance with some ex-militants was unlawful.
The militants had in their statement of claims filed by their counsel, Mr Richard Turner, urged the court to order the Amnesty Office to revert the 75 slots of the camp and halt further diversion of slots by the office.
The judge adjourned the case until October 4 for continuation of hearing after taking evidences from Oroupade, who also served as a plaintiff’s witness.
