BY BEN AGANDE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

ABUJA—SPECIALAdviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Matters and Chairman of Amnesty Office, Mr Kingsley Kuku, yesterday, told the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, that they should prevail on the President to include Itsekiri militants that were exempted from the Amnesty Programme.

He said they were exempted because of lack of proper documentations.

Speaking at a public hearing on non-inclusion of Itsekiri youths in the Amnesty Programme, Kuku said the only person who can order the inclusion of the Itsekiri youth is the President.

He said: “If the President gives me a directive now, by tomorrow, the Itsekiri youths will be included in the Amnesty programme. In the past, I had written to the President on the matter, that the Itsekiri youths should be included in the programme because we have a common problem bordering on poverty and we suffer same deprivations.”

The Itsekiri youths numbering over 60, earlier in the day, stormed the National Assembly venue of the public hearing, probing the non-inclusion of Itsekiri formerly armed youths in the Amnesty Programme.

The youths under the  aegis of Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, who arrived the complex as early as 10am, could not hide their anger as some who spoke to Vanguard  said all they wanted was their rightful slot in the Amnesty Programme.

Chairman of the House Committee, Mr Uzor Azubike arrived venue of the sitting at 1.45pm. The sitting started one hour behind schedule as Kuku entourage arrived without him at 1.39pn while the Itsekiri youths had arrived the venue earlier.

In his presentation, Patron of the body, Dr Lucky Akaruese, argued in his petition, that the Itsekiri youths, who obeyed government’s call for truce, were deliberately and wickedly excluded from the programme for no just reason by the Office of the Special Adviser.

Chairman of the Committee, commended Kuku for honestly saying the truth that improper documentation robbed the Itsekiri in the Amnesty.

Mr Daniel Reyenieju, representing Warri Federal Constituency, said “ I am most impressed by the presentation of Kuku  on this issue because before now, we were always in a combative mood each time we meet over the issue.”