THE Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has warned legal action against anyone who uses false information to disparage the organization and its head, Major-General Barry Idiomu.
PAP also encouraged security authorities to apprehend people disseminating false information to destabilize peace in the Niger Delta region in a statement by its Senior Assistant on Media, Freston Akpor.
The declaration was in response to a press conference given by one Friday Iko, who demanded that anti-corruption and allied agencies look into the PAP over allegations of corruption and fraud in the distribution of monies to the PAP Cooperative.
Iko had among other issues alleged that “some members of staff in the office are receiving huge amounts for welfare ranging between M15 to N10 million for monthly running cost”.
PAP said the monies mentioned were clearly a figment of the imagination of the newsmaker who intends to use the media to achieve malicious ends only known to him.
Akpor described the allegations as “not only false but also baseless and a calculated attempt to commence another round of a smear campaign against the Interim Administrator and his dedicated management team by forces from within and outside the office”.
He advised the media to be wary of questionable characters who tend to use their platforms to publish or broadcast mischief against innocent people using pseudo names.
“PAP has conducted a background check on the purported newsmaker and has found no person of note with that name or identity. The media is therefore advised to be circumspect in allowing personalities bearing pseudonyms to use their platforms to broadcast or publish such mischief as they (media houses) could be in the cross hair of possible litigations.”
“As a national security programme, the PAP under General Ndiomu has been ethical and above board in discharging its mandate of ensuring peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.
“The PAP, therefore, wishes to call on the security agencies to arrest those spreading falsehood to undermine the peace in the region.
“The PAP will also not hesitate to bring charges against those who employ such falsehood in order to defame the chief executive and hardworking staff of the Programme,” the statement read in part.
