Amnesty Office In Bribery Scandal As Contractors Cry Out Over Officials Collecting Kickbacks

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (retd), and Directors of Finance and Procurement, have been allegedly accused of collecting kickbacks from vulnerable contractors of the firm to process their payment files.

BIGPENNGR.COM understands the Amnesty office is currently embroiled in this fresh bribery scandal after one Victor Okame, a concerned Presidential Amnesty Programme Beneficiary raised the alarm about some contractors of the programme dying of frustration over delayed payment of their contract sums.

The Amnesty Office have been enmeshed in the alleged bribery scandal right from the days of sacked Coordinator of the programme, Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo, who was also reportedly accused of frustrating contractors who fails to give 10-20 percent kickbacks.

Reports say officials at the Amnesty Office allegedly receive several millions of naira in kickbacks from vulnerable contractors to have their payment made.

“The heartbreaking delayed payment of contractors at the Presidential Amnesty Programme PAP office has once again come to the fore as this has continued to have a debilitating toll on their health” one report said.

“The decay in the Amnesty office is becoming worse every day. As vendors we will keep our identities discreet to avoid victimization. We need your help in revealing these anomalies in the amnesty office, as it is really affecting us as businessmen and Women”, one of the contractor who crave anonymity said.

“We have records of some of us who have died or currently hospitalized from the pressure of being owed indefinitely by the presidential amnesty office”, Victor Okame an amnesty beneficiary said, in a statement on Friday.

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He said that the delay in payment of contractors is due to sharp illegal practices happening in the office.

“The public is aware that a committee was saddled with the responsibility of investigating and verifying awarded, Ongoing and Completed Contracts in the Amnesty Office. This committee carried out their duties and came up with recommendations, including lists of verified contracts that should be paid.

“Currently all the recommendations of the committee setup by Mr. President are being ignored. The Interim Administrator, Col. Dikio Milland in collaboration with the Directors of Finance and Procurement are currently processing payments of files and contractors that were not cleared by the committee setup by Mr. President, Through the Office of the National Security Adviser.

“Currently the Interim Administrator and the Director of Finance have cronies who have been approaching vulnerable contractors, collecting fees ranging from 10 to 20% of their contract values, to be assured of payments. We have evidence of these transactions and would release them if we are pushed to the wall.

“To give a hint on our facts, one Comrade Wilson Ikoli, who claims to be the Chief of Staff to the IA and another Miss Ebiye, an aide to the Director of Finance are the people both officials use to strike their deals. This is not only illegal and unjust, but also wicked to the many vendors who have executed their jobs either through loans or personal funds.

“We call on the NSA to setup an independent body to carry out these payments as the current process has been compromised and is clouded with secrecy and fraud”.

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The Amnesty Office was yet to make any official statement on the fresh allegation that officials are bribed in millions before contractors’ payment are processed and paid.