Amnesty Programme Must Stay, First Phase Ex-Agitators Tell Critics

*Kick against forensic audit

Leaders of the First Phase Niger Delta Ex-Agitators’ Forum have strongly urged the government of the federation to resist pressure to terminate the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP); Arguing that scrapping the initiative would jeopardise the fragile peace that has underpinned Nigeria’s oil-driven economy for years.

In a statement signed by the forum’s National President, Chief Aroni Oputu (aka General Aroni), the Ex-Agitators declared that the region’s current stability is directly tied to the Amnesty Programme’s operations. They described PAP as the “life-wire” of peace in the Niger Delta, asserting that national economic security depends on keeping the region calm.

“The Niger Delta region is undoubtedly the most peaceful in Nigeria, and that is because of the operation of the PAP,” the statement read. “If the region is peaceful, then the programme has been successful.”

The ex-agitators cautioned that Nigeria cannot afford to ignite a new security crisis in the South-South while simultaneously battling overwhelming security challenges in other parts of the country.

The forum also pushed back against calls for a forensic audit of the programme, a suggestion reportedly made by legal practitioner Barrister Robinson Ariyo. They accused Ariyo of speaking ill of an initiative he knows little about, dismissing claims that the Itsekiri community played a role in the region’s liberation struggle.

Citing that PAP functions as an interventionist security programme under the direct supervision of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the forum argued that an external audit is redundant. “The NSA already monitors and scrutinises the agency’s activities. A forensic audit is unnecessary,” they said.

In a sweeping show of confidence, the ex-agitators passed a vote of confidence on the PAP Administrator, Chief (Dr.) Dennis Otuaro. They praised his leadership for elevating the programme to “an enviable height” and called on the government to allow him to continue without distraction.