*Col. Miland Dikio (Rtd)
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — 147 ex-militants in the Niger Delta, have filed contempt process against Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Col. Miland Dikio (Rtd), for allegedly disobeying a court judgment, for the payment of their stipends.
To this end, the ex-agitators are seeking the enforcement of the court judgement to compel the Presidential Amnesty boss to pay the judgement debt or be committed to prison.
Recall that the ex agitators had in suit no. FHC/YNG/CS/70/2019 accused the Amnesty Office of diverting the slots and stipends for the 147 ex-militants in two camps of 75 and 72 members from 2011 till date.
The Federal High Court in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State, had on Nov. 13, 2020 following agreed settlement terms ruled that the diversion of lots and stipends were unlawful and ordered for its reinstatement.
The presiding judge, Justice Awogboro Abimbola, ordered payment to the 72 slots of Agbalagbabo camp 50 percent of their total entitlements from April 2011 to September 2019, amounting to N238.68 million as final settlement.
Abimbola also ruled that the Amnesty Office should pay to the 75 militants of the Benuwolo camp, 50 percent of their total entitlements from Jan 2011 to Sept 2019 amounting to N255.94 million as final settlement.
Meanwhile, Counsel to the 72 ex-militants from Agbalagbabo camp, Moses Lawyer and Counsel to the 75 ex-militants from Benuwolo camp, Clinton Orupade, have served the contempt proceedings to urge Dikio to comply with the court judgement.
However, the court is yet to fix a date for Dikio to appear before it.
