Presidential Amnesty Office Raises Alarm over Fake News

Malik Yahya/

The Presidential Amnesty Office in Abuja has raised the alarm over what it describes as mischievous reports in some print and online news porters on the circumstances surrounding the recent invasion of Presidential Amnesty Programme Vocational Training Centre in Kaiama, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

A statement from the Special Assistant on Media at the Presidential Amnesty Office, Abuja, Mr Murphy Ganagana, says: “The malicious and false reports which followed a stage-managed protest hired by their sponsors to achieve a pre-determined goal, had alleged that the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo, orchestrated the looting of items meant for empowerment of residents of communities impacted during the Niger Delta crises to cover up fraud at the Amnesty Office.

“The hired protesters also reportedly alleged that no action was taken by Prof. Dokubo throughout a five day period that the looting of starter pack items and vandalisation of property at the training facility lasted.

“We wish to state emphatically that these allegations are not only nonsensical, entirely false, preposterous, mischievous and wicked, but a calculated attempt to smear the hard-earned reputation of Prof. Dokubo, a descent and incorruptible scholar of international repute who has, within one year in office, given hope to the Niger Delta People through fresh initiatives that would reposition the Amnesty Programme to its original mandate.

“It is on record that the invasion and looting of items at the Kaiama training facility occurred in the presence of security personnel including the police and the military deployed in the centre, but they were simply overwhelmed by the numerical strength of the massive invaders.

“The incident was also immediately reported at the Divisional Police Headquarters at Kaiama, and later at the Bayelsa State police command headquarters in Yenagoa. Complaint on the incident by an official of the Amnesty Office was properly document by the Bayelsa police in its crime diary.

“The police had promptly launched intensive investigation on the incident and have some suspects in custody. None of the suspects arrested in connection to the looting of items and vandalisation of the facility, has linked any official of the Amnesty Office to the crime.

“We urge enemies of the Niger Delta, particularly ambitious politicians eyeing Prof. Dokubo’s office to desist from smear campaigns and other ignoble acts capable of portraying the Niger Delta people in bad light. Sponsoring ill-motivated protests aimed at causing mischief and splashing muddied water on Dokubo, a patriot and committed Niger Deltan will do no one any good.

“President Muhammadu Buhari is committed and determined to turn around the sad narrative of the Niger Delta through the instrumentality of the Amnesty Programme. We should all support his effort by playing progressive roles to compliment Prof. Dokubo in moving the Amnesty Programme to the next level.

“However, it is pertinent to state that Prof. Charles Dokubo will not be distracted by the evil machinations of those working to rubbish his modest achievements within a short span, but remain focused on charting a new course for the Amnesty Programme and the Niger Delta.”

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