By Daniel Gumm

REPRESENTATIVES of Itsekiri ethnic nationality will, today, appear before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Petitions to defend their petition against the handling of the Federal Government’s amnesty programme.

The Itsekiri group, which will be represented by Itsekiri National Youths Council, INYC, had in March sent a petition to the Speaker of the House, Mr. Waziri Tambuwal, alleging unjustified exclusion from the programme.

The group alleged that the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, deliberately alienated Itsekiri youths, who submitted their arms and ammunition in response to the late Umaru Yar’Adua government’s amnesty proclamation of June 25, 2009.

The Itsekiri youths group had consistently alleged that Federal Government policies on the Niger Delta were skewed to create the impression that the Niger Delta region was synonymous with the Ijaw ethnic group, as if no other ethnic group exists in the region.