A Federal High Court in Yenagoa on Tuesday summoned the coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Office, Prof. Charles Dokubo, to appear before it on January 21 over alleged fraud committed by the office.
Justice Awogboro Abimbola also summoned the office’s Director of Finance and Accounts, Isaac Ityohuma; and its Head of Reintegration, Aroloye Brown.
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The defendants were sued by 75 ex-militants under Benuwolo Camp who embraced the presidential amnesty in 2010 in the second phase of the scheme.
The judge said that she had on September 26 summoned Dokubo, also Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta, over alleged diversion of stipends meant for the 75 former militants.
Justice Abimbola ordered counsel to the coordinator of amnesty office, Pere Ikuetemi, to ensure that his client appeared in court on the next adjourned date for continuation of hearing.
The 75 ex-militants are demanding payment of their outstanding N65,000 monthly stipends from January 2011 to May 2019, amounting to N492 million.
The group urged the court to declare as unlawful, the alleged fraudulent manipulation of the 75 slots allotted to Benuwolo Camp by officials of amnesty office in connivance with some other ex-militants.
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They had in their statements of claim filed by their counsel, Richard Turner, urged the court to order the office to revert the 75 slots to the camp and halt further diversion of the slots.
Meanwhile, the judge dismissed an application by two other ex-militants to join in the suit.
