Jackrich petitions Tinubu, seeks integration of 4,000 ex-agitators into Amnesty Programme

Leader of the Niger Delta Liberation Force, NDLF, High Chief Sobomabo Jackrich, also known as Egberipapa, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the alleged exclusion of more than 4,000 members of his camp from the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP.

In a petition submitted to the State House this week, Jackrich also called for a comprehensive audit of the programme’s finances and a review of how beneficiary slots have been allocated since its establishment in 2009.

He said members of Egberipapa Camp had remained outside the PAP structure for 17 years, despite a 2021 resolution of the Senate recommending their integration and the allocation of 2,000 slots to the group.

Jackrich said he first formally raised the matter before the 9th Senate on April 13, 2021, through the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

He alleged that members of his camp had been excluded from PAP despite taking part in the disarmament process that led to the establishment of the amnesty initiative under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2009.

According to him, the Senate committee subsequently held hearings and recommended the integration of Egberipapa Camp/NDLF into PAP, with 2,000 slots allocated to the group.

The ex-agitator said the committee, in a letter dated June 8, 2021, also asked the then Interim Administrator of PAP to explain how funds appropriated to the programme had been used and provide records showing how slots were distributed among various camps.

“Copies of the relevant Senate documents, correspondence and resolutions are annexed to this petition for Your Excellency’s consideration,” Jackrich stated.

He maintained that the documents attached to his latest petition showed that the issue had previously received legislative attention and was not merely an informal complaint.

Jackrich told the President that the continued non-implementation of the Senate recommendations had left affected former agitators and their families with “a profound sense of injustice”.

He said the situation had also put an “extraordinary burden” on him because of the support he had provided to members of the group over the years.

“I have personally carried substantial welfare responsibilities for members of the affected group for many years while awaiting resolution of the Federal Government’s intervention. The resulting frustration has become increasingly difficult to manage,” he wrote.

He said his latest appeal was intended to bring an end to a matter that, in his view, had remained in “administrative limbo” since 2009 rather than reopen an old dispute.

The NDLF leader also drew attention to what he described as possible security consequences if the matter continues without a resolution.

He said members of his camp had repeatedly been encouraged to use lawful channels to seek redress, but warned that prolonged frustration could change the situation.

“I am increasingly concerned that, if the matter remains unresolved, some aggrieved persons may become tempted to resort to self-help or other unlawful means of expressing their grievances,” he warned.

Jackrich stressed that the warning should not be interpreted as a threat to the Federal Government.

“Not as a threat to Your Excellency or to the Federal Government, but as a sincere warning about the consequences of allowing a longstanding grievance involving a large number of young people in an oil-producing region to remain unresolved indefinitely.”

He asked the President to regard the intervention as a “preventive intervention” capable of restoring confidence in the amnesty process, avoiding possible escalation and reinforcing the principle that legitimate grievances can be addressed through lawful institutions.

Beyond the request concerning his camp, Jackrich called for an independent review of PAP’s entire slot allocation process.

He wants the government to determine the criteria originally used to identify beneficiaries, the number of slots approved each year since 2009, the allocation to each recognised camp and the reasons some groups were excluded.

He also requested access to records showing the names and categories of beneficiaries, “subject to applicable privacy and data-protection requirements,” as well as information on the financial obligations linked to the allocations.

“Such a review would not only address the Petitioner’s grievance but could strengthen public confidence in the Programme,” he argued.

Jackrich further requested an independent forensic and performance audit of PAP from its inception to date.

He noted that the programme is financed with public funds appropriated by the National Assembly, including what he described as a “substantial provision” in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

He said the proposed audit was not based on an assumption of wrongdoing, but should establish whether the programme’s resources had been properly managed and identify any areas requiring correction.

Among other things, he wants the audit to examine funds appropriated and released, actual expenditure, spending on administration, training, education and empowerment, procurement and contracts, beneficiary and camp allocations, slot records, outstanding liabilities and compliance with procurement and audit laws.

“If the Programme has been properly managed, such an audit would provide an opportunity to establish that fact conclusively,” he stated.

Jackrich reminded President Tinubu that PAP was established as “an instrument of peace, reconciliation, rehabilitation, reintegration and development.”

He argued that complaints from people who believe they were excluded in violation of government decisions or legislative resolutions should be properly investigated and resolved.

He identified restoring confidence in government, preventing grievances from developing into security challenges and improving accountability within PAP as key reasons for the requested presidential intervention.

Among his eight requests, Jackrich wants PAP directed to implement the Senate recommendation on the 2,000 slots for Egberipapa Camp, verify the status of the affected former agitators and produce historical records of slot allocations.

He also called for an independent audit, an investigation into why the Senate resolutions were not implemented, engagement between stakeholders and the National Security Adviser, and a time-bound process for resolving the matter.

He further requested an opportunity to meet with President Tinubu or a panel appointed by him to present the original documents and other evidence relating to the case.

Despite his grievances, Jackrich commended the Tinubu administration for its efforts to increase crude oil production and sustain intervention programmes in the Niger Delta.

He said he remained committed to pursuing the matter through peaceful and institutional means.

“The petitioner’s earnest desire is that the affected former agitators continue to believe in the Nigerian State and that their grievances can be resolved through lawful and constitutional processes rather than through frustration or self-help,” the petition concluded.

The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established in 2009 to support the disarmament, rehabilitation and reintegration of former militants in the Niger Delta through measures including stipends, education, vocational training and empowerment.