The Federal Government has resumed payments to former Niger Delta militants, as agreed under a 2009 amnesty deal, a government official confirmed on Thursday.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has been holding talks with militants to end attacks on crude pipelines, which cut Nigeria’s output by 700,000 barrels in 2016.
The budget for cash payments to militants has originally been cut, but had to continue to halt the pipeline attacks.
“Two months of the ex-militants’ stipends were paid yesterday. The rest of their stipends will be paid later in batches by (central bank) CBN,” Piriye Kiyaramo, an officer in the government’s Amnesty Office, said.
He said the paid stipends covered August and September.
Each former militant is entitled to N65,000 ($206.68) monthly, plus job training.
The FG suppose to know that they are demanding what is duly theirs; the payment will calm their nerves down.