Office of the Presidential Amnesty Programme have insisted that its will not be distracted from its mandate of ensuring peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.
PAP stated this in reaction to a press conference over alleged corruption and imputing fraud in the disbursement of funds to the PAP Cooperative.
In a statement by SA Media, Presidential Amnesty Programme Freston Akpor maintained the allegations are not only false but also baseless and a calculated attempt to commence another round of a smear campaign against the Interim Administrator.
The statement reads ‘‘the attention of the Presidential Amnesty Programme has been drawn to a press conference held by one Friday Iko urging anti graft and related agencies to investigate the PAP over alleged corruption and imputing fraud in the disbursement of funds to the PAP Cooperative.
‘‘Iko had among other issues alleged that some members of staff in the office are receiving huge amounts for welfare ranging between 15 to 10 million Naira for monthly running cost.
‘‘The monies mentioned are clearly a figment of the imagination of the newsmaker who intends to use the media to achieve malicious ends only known to him.
“The allegations are not only false but also baseless and a calculated attempt to commence another round of a smear campaign against the Interim Administrator and his dedicated management team by forces from within and outside the office’’.
Also, PAP stated that it has conducted a background check on the purported newsmaker and has found no person of note with that name or identity.
It also advised the media to be circumspect in allowing personalities bearing pseudonyms to use their platforms to broadcast or publish such mischief as they (media houses) could be in the cross hair of possible litigations.
However, PAP stated that as a national security programme, the PAP under General Ndiomu has been ethical and above board in discharging its mandate of ensuring peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.
In the same vein, PAP called on the security agencies to arrest those spreading falsehood to undermine the peace in the region.
The PAP also added that it will not hesitate to bring charges against those who employ such falsehood in order to defame the chief executive and hardworking staff of the Programme
