A group of ex-militants from the former Bakassi Freedom Fighters on Thursday stormed a branch of Eco Bank Plc located at Mary Slessor Road, Calabar, Cross River State to protest what they called “irregularity in the payment of our allowances.”

  The Tide’s source gathered that the ex-militants, who arrived the bank at about 3 pm, created commotion and obstructed traffic on the road.

  He source learnt that the aggrieved ex-militants on arrival at the bank, immediately blocked its entrance and prevented customers from entering the bank.

  Their presence was said to have scared the customers who ran to a safe distance and watched them display their grievances.

  It was also gathered that due to the rowdiness at the scene, the bank alerted the state’s Police Command, which immediately mobilised policemen to monitor the situation.

  The protest was said to have stemmed from complains that there were irregularities in the payment of their allowances in the state since the inception of the post-amnesty programme.

  It was further gathered that about 20 of the ex-militants, who have been camped at a  Housing Estate in Ekperi-Ikang, Bakassi Local Government Area, were yet to receive their allowances from the beginning of the post-amnesty.

  One of them, who identified himself as Frank, said there was confusion in the payment of their allowances in the state.

  He alleged that the payment structure of their allowances was deliberately distorted to create chaos, adding that in some months the bank paid them N19,000.00.

  He stated that 20 of the ex-militants were yet to be paid one month allowance, saying the protest was in Sympathy of their colleagues who had been marginalised in the payment of the allowance.

  A source, however, said the issue of omission was being handled.

  The source, who pleaded anonymity, said an arrangement had been made to give each of the excluded militants N10,000 pending when the issue would be resolved.

  Last year, over 100 of the ex-militants had invaded the bank to protest the non-payment of their salary believed to have been released by the Federal Government.

Their activities had forced the bank to shot down its activities.