Oscarline Onwuemenyi
21 March 2018, Sweetcrude, Abuja – Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested the sacked Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for former Niger Delta militants, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd.).
According to sources at the commission, Boroh was arrested at his Abuja residence by a combined team of operatives from the EFCC and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
The operatives were also said to have discovered a total of $9 million in cash at his residence, shortly after he was arrested.
Boroh, who also served as Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, was sacked last week by President Muhamadu Buhari, who subsequently ordered a probe of the activities of the amnesty office since 2015 when he was appointed.
A senior security agent at the EFCC who confirmed the arrest said the former presidential aide was driven back to his house at about 3.00am on Tuesday after he was arrested the previous day.
“His home was searched for several hours and about $9 million cash was discovered in several safe boxes in several parts of the house,” the source said.
He added that “The combined team of EFCC and the National Security Adviser operatives were very thorough with the search. Indeed, at a point, the operatives broke all the locks in the home including his wife’s closet. The recovered cash has been deposited at the office of the NSA.”
A source within the Presidency disclosed that Boroh was summoned to the Presidential Villa on Friday last week over allegations leveled on him.
It was also learned that the Presidency may not have been satisfied with the explanations he gave regarding the allegations.
The presidential source also disclosed that President Buhari has replaced Boroh with Prof. Charles Quaker Dokubo, a seasoned researcher with the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA).
A statement by the presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, had also indicated that the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, should carry out a full investigation into the activities of the Amnesty Programme from 2015 to date.
Monguno is also expected to investigate allegations of financial impropriety leveled against Boroh, especially acts that were detrimental to the objectives of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
It was reported that prior to his sack, some beneficiaries of the programme have been mounting pressures on Buhari to relieve him of his duties.
Boroh’s sack is said to have been connected to a petition written against him in August 2017 by the Niger Deltans for Accountability and Good Governance (NDAGG).
The group had accused Boroh of diverting N70 billion, part of which was meant for the payment of tuition fees and living expenses of Niger Delta students in universities within and outside the country.
Other groups in the Niger Delta region including the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, hailed Boroh’s sack by President Buhari, noting that the performance of the former amnesty boss was not satisfactory.
IYC also alleged that Boroh was using the office as an instrument of politics, instead of carrying out programs for the benefit of the Niger Delta people, especially the Presidential Amnesty beneficiaries.
