A community leader in Egbema Kingdom, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Kari Ebipade, has said that the Itsekiri ethnic nationality does not have the right to claim to be a part of the Federal Government sponsored Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in the Niger Delta region.

Chief Kari, who is the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to High Chief (Dr.) Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, made the call in response to alleged statements from the Itsekiris claiming that the PAP Administrator, High Chief (Dr.) Dennis Otuaro, is marginalizing them.

According to the CSO to Tompolo, the Itsekiri people and their leaders have publicly denounced any affiliation to being militants and that they were not a part of the agitation that gave birth to amnesty.

In his words, "Itsekiri cannot lay a claim to be part of PAP. Reason being that during the Presidential Amnesty Program, Itsekiri nation came out to say publicly that they are not militants, they never partake in a business of militancy, so they cannot be part of Amnesty.

"Ayiri Emami said it publicly during one of their meetings, Hon. Michael Diden said it publicly, and a host of other Itsekiri leader who said it publicly,” Kari stressed.

He slammed the Itsekiri for accusing the PAP Boss Otuaro of marginalizing them and warned them that such statements should not be mentioned anywhere.

Kari, who also accused the Itsekiri of double standards, said further that despite their earlier rejection of associating with the struggle, they (Itsekiris) were considered as part of beneficiaries in the PAP.

He further revealed that there exist a record of every beneficiaries who were sent to institutions of higher learning within and outside Nigeria, a list which contains the names of Itsekiris and other tribes in general.

Chief Kari challenged the Itsekiri people and her leaders who are claiming to be marginalised, should publish the names of their generals and their boys, including who they surrendered their weapons to.

"The itsekiris publicly made a statement in Koko when they were invited to drop their arms. They said 'We are not militants, the gun we have is for self defense, so we don’t have gun to drop.'

"My question is, the itsekiri generals, where was their camp, and who do they drop their guns to, as they were claiming to have ex-agitators? They should publish the names of their generals, and boys under each of their generals because all the statements they made is on record at Warri North Local Government Secretariat in Koko.

"Hon. Micheal Diden known as Ejele, and other itsekiri leaders in the presence of the then local government chairman, Hon Ebosa Godwin, dressed in their traditional attire, in their usual way of dancing."

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