The Federal
Government of Nigeria has resumed payments of cash stipends to former militants
agreed under a 2009 amnesty in the country's Niger Delta oil hub, a government
official said on Thursday.
The
government has been holding talks with militants to end attacks on crude
pipelines which reduced Nigeria's output by 700,000 barrels a day for several
months last year.
Authorities
had originally cut the budget for cash payments to militants to end corruption
but later resumed payments to stop pipeline attacks crippling vital oil
revenues.
"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," said Piriye
Kiyaramo, an officer in the government's Amnesty Office.
He said the
paid stipends covered August and September.
Each former
militant is entitled under the amnesty to 65,000 naira ($206.68) monthly plus
job training.
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