Court grants prayers of ex-Militants to serve processes on new amnesty boss

A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted an order substituting the name of Prof Charles Dokubo, the former coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty programme with that of Col. Miland Dixion Dikio (rtd), the current Interim Administrator of the programme.

The case, with suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/1198/2019 was instituted by 80 Niger Delta ex-agitators, who are beneficiaries of the 3rd phase of the Presidential Amnesty programme but were denied their monthly stipend between the period of September 2015 and July 2019.

Starnews Nigeria reports that the suit was originally instituted against the amnesty office with the name of the former Amnesty boss, Dokubo, and other officials as respondents on October 2019 by Barr Solomon Tunyan on behalf of the Niger Delta ex-agitators.

With the proof of a change of leadership, Justice F.O.G Ogunbanjo, while granting the court order upon the request of the petitioners, directed that all processes in the case be served on Rtd Col. Miland Dixion Dikio, the interim Administrator of the Amnesty programme

The court order was handed down and signed by the presiding judge on November 6, 2020.

In the suit, they listed Col. Miland Dikio the Interim Administrator of the Amnesty program, Mr Peter Jack, the Head of Data Department and Mr Isaac Ityohuma Saawa, the Director of Finance and Administration of the Amnesty office as witnesses to be subpoenaed to the court in the case.

The 80 Niger Delta ex-militants comprising 40 members each in Osuogidigidi 1 camp and Ilelema 1 camp had through their lawyer instituted the legal action to compel the Amnesty office to pay their monthly stipend which according to them was unjustly denied, hijacked and diverted to other persons by officials of the Amnesty office who allegedly manipulated their camp list in the database since 2015.

According to them, they instituted the court action after a series of efforts and letters of appeal written by their lawyers to pay them their entitlements have failed.

The case has been adjourned to the 27th of January 2021 by the trial judge.