The House of Representatives has given the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dennis Otuaro, a 72-hour ultimatum to appear before its Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. He is expected to answer audit queries involving more than N26bn. The committee warned that if he fails to show up on the scheduled date, a warrant of arrest will be issued against him.
This decision followed Otuaro’s failure to attend six previous invitations issued by the committee. During Thursday’s public hearing at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, Hon. Dominic Okafor moved a motion for a warrant of arrest against him, and the move was seconded by Aliyu Missau.
According to the Auditor-General’s report under review, the Presidential Amnesty Programme is alleged to have committed several financial violations. These include what the report described as “violation of the Federal Government’s e-payment policy on expenditures totalling N17.6bn; payment of N3.6bn without internal audit checks; and disbursement of N1.5bn for tuition fees without supporting documents.”
Additional allegations in the report noted “circumvention of procurement processes; issuance of cash advances exceeding approved thresholds amounting to N1.2bn, among other discrepancies.”
The Chairman of the Committee, Bamidele Salam, representing Ede North/Ede South/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency of Osun State, said Otuaro and other PAP principal officers must appear before the panel or face legal consequences. He explained that their attendance was necessary to clarify issues raised in the audit and respond to accountability questions.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established to manage the disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of ex-militants in the Niger Delta. Its mission includes reintegration, vocational training, scholarships, support for beneficiaries, and other interventions.
In its 2021 audit on non-compliance and internal financial weaknesses, the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation flagged PAP for serious irregularities. Among concerns raised was the payment of more than N1.53bn in tuition fees “for students under PAP” without evidence such as receipts, admission letters, or proof of enrolment. The report also revealed that N3.62bn was disbursed “without any internal audit check,” and noted additional issues including cash advances beyond approved limits and payments without proper documentation or accounting records.
The audit recommended that PAP justify the transactions, recover funds where necessary, return mismanaged amounts to the treasury, and provide evidence of compliance to relevant National Assembly committees.
Last year, the current Administrator, Dennis Otuaro, launched transparency and data clean-up reforms shortly after his appointment in March 2024. The exercise reviewed thousands of beneficiary records, removed duplicate entries, and re-verified scholarship and vocational training enrolments, raising hopes that systemic lapses could be corrected.
