The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, High Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro, has warned all delegates and other beneficiaries of the PAP to desist from giving money in return for alleged favours from the presidential amnesty office.

The PAP Office in a press statement signed by Mr Igoniko Oduma, the Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator on Thursday (October 10) clarified that it was not involved in the "dialogue between stakeholders and former agitators of the Niger Delta" hosted by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, South-South, Gift Johnbull, in collaboration with one 'General MightyMan' which held in Yenagoa on Tuesday, September 8, 2024.

It stated that the explanation became necessary as a result of the unfortunate linking of the PAP Office with the Yenagoa dialogue in some quarters, and the ongoing fraud by some persons who collect monies from unsuspecting victims using the name of the Office with a fake promise of vocational training and empowerment benefits.

The statement further reiterated that beneficiaries of the PAP Office's vocational, educational scholarship and post-training schemes to not pay any money to benefit from them.

Part of the statement reads, "The attention of the Presidential Amnesty Programme has been drawn to an event that was held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on 8 October 2024, which centred on dialogue between stakeholders and former agitators of the Niger Delta.

"The PAP Office wishes to clarify that it was not a party to the event, which was hosted by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, South-South, Gift Johnbull, in collaboration with one 'General MightMan'.

"This clarification becomes necessary due to the misconception in some quarters that the PAP office was involved in the event," it stated.

Continuing, the statement added, "We are concerned that based on the event, some persons are impersonating the PAP Office and collecting money from unsuspecting members of the public with a fake promise they will be engaged in vocational skills training and other empowerment opportunities in return.

"The PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, advises PAP delegates of Phases One, Two and Three as well as beneficiaries to, in their own interest, stay away from activities that are not officially sanctioned by the Office" and warned that “The PAP Office does not demand money from potential beneficiaries for enrollment in its vocational, educational scholarship and post-training initiatives."

Otuaro called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute those involved in using the name of the PAP Office for scam, to serve as a deterrent to others.

"The Administrator is urging security agencies to apprehend and prosecute those using the name of the PAP Office to engage in fraudulent activities. The public should count the PAP Office out of such pay-for-engagement activities," Otuaro warned.

Recall that the PAP Office had also in an earlier statement it issued on the heels of it been inundated with inquiries from concerned stakeholders, distanced itself from a purported ‘demobilisation exercise’ in the Niger Delta by unscrupulous elements who are going about collecting money from unsuspecting members of the public for pipeline surveillance and other vocational trades.

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