By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Calabar – The ex-militants undergoing training at the post-amnesty training programme, Obubra in Cross River State have called on the Federal Government to stop paying their monthly allowances through the banks alleging that their leaders conspire with some bank managers  to under pay them.

The call came on the heels of a protest by about 400 repentant militants who stormed the Obubra rehabilitation camp to complain of the omission of their names for the batch thirteen training programme.

In an interview at the rehabilitation camp, the commander of Don’s camp, Enemugha Perela who was among the 1200 former militants for the 13th batch training said some commanders from Bayelsa state have established the culture of slashing their allowances.

He said, “I was a computer operator. This is an issue affecting all the camps in Bayelsa State. Leaders go with the bank managers. They make arrangements and the money goes direct to the banks, while the leaders operate those accounts without the owners having access to operate their own accounts.

“Before they used to pay direct into our accounts, but immediately after. We are non violent now and we cannot go back to the creeks of the Niger Delta to harm again so we need direct payment of our salaries”, he said.

Another repentant militant Onyikro Benaebi from Daddy Ken Camp said, “They should pay our money straight to us. Sometimes I do not even see my salary. Sometimes they just cut it. I have not been able to do one thing for my family.

“My entire family depends on me, so what should I do. Should I go and steal? Please the federal government should pay direct to our bank accounts”, he appealed.

For Kurotimi Poki from the Asupa Camp, “The government should also give us what we want as we have accepted this programme. Let the FG not fail us. We love the programme, but they should pay us our salary direct.

“When our salary which is supposed to be N65, 000 comes, our commander would cut the money. Sometimes it is just N10, 000 that would get to us. Our commanders are taking our money. The government should stop this by paying our money directly to us. They pay to their accounts and then they come and pay us by hand these peanuts. We do not like it and we are not happy about it”, he said.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 400 yet-to-be-trained ex-militants, whose names were not included in batch 13 list of the on-going transformational training programme have cried out to the Federal Government to speed up modalities for them to undergo the training.

The ex-militants, who some of whom came on their own to the Obubra camp expressed faith in the amnesty programme after seeing changes in their colleagues who are currently in a different phase of the programme in South Africa, Ghana, and other parts of the world.