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Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) condemns threats from Itsekiri Ex-Agitators Forum
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Emphasises Ijaw leadership in the origin of the Presidential Amnesty Programme
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Endorses current leadership under Dr. Dennis Otuaro
The Ijaw Youth Council, Western Zone, has strongly rejected what it described as threats and “revisionist claims” from a faction claiming to represent the Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality Ex-Agitators Forum.
In a statement signed by Comrade Nicholas Igarama (Chairman), Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo (Secretary), and Comrade Tare Magbei (Information Officer), the Council highlighted the historical origins of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, stressing it emerged from an Ijaw-led armed struggle against state oppression, environmental degradation, and economic marginalisation.
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“The creeks where the conflict raged are Ijaw land. The communities that were bombarded, occupied, and reduced to rubble were Ijaw communities. The young men who laid down their arms in their thousands, many of whom paid the ultimate price, were overwhelmingly Ijaw,” the statement emphasised.
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The Council condemned any attempts to rewrite history or intimidate the government, warning against using threats to oil production or public order as leverage.
Support for Current Leadership
The IYC expressed confidence in the current leadership of the Amnesty Programme, led by Dr. Dennis Otuaro, citing his stability, administrative focus, and understanding of the Programme’s delicate history.
The statement urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ignore political distractions from groups driven by narrow interests and recommended the extension of Dr. Otuaro’s tenure to consolidate reforms and preserve peace in the region.
The Council added with a warning: “Those who beat the drums of unrest must remember that peace in the Niger Delta rests on truth and responsibility. Distorting history is not advocacy. It is provocation.”
The statement reinforces the Ijaw community’s central role in the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme while pushing back against external claims that could destabilise regional peace.