A brewing crisis is threatening the peace of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) as the Concerned Niger Delta Ex-Agitators have fiercely condemned the Administrator, Dennis Otuaro. 

The coalition is accusing Otuaro of insulting the integrity of the liberation struggle by allegedly appointing a "notorious armed robber" to represent Phase One ex-agitators.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition following a contentious meeting at the Presidential Amnesty Office in Abuja, Tare Deseimoh pulled no punches, describing the decision as a severe undermining of the identity, sacrifices, and history of the Niger Delta people.

According to Deseimoh, the bone of contention is the elevation of one Aroni Oputu (also referred to as Aruni) to a leadership position within Phase One, a tier strictly reserved for the frontline generals of the armed struggle.

The coalition argues that Aroni Oputu has no legitimate history in the Niger Delta emancipation movement and lacked an active camp during the height of the crisis in the creeks.

"By doing this, Dennis Otuaro has insulted everyone, including all our established leaders," Deseimoh stated. "He has insulted leaders like King Ateke Tom, Gen. Boyloaf, Farah Dagogo, and even Tompolo. 

If you search for these leaders, you see their history. But Aroni is completely unknown in the struggle. He is merely a notorious robber who was accommodated under the amnesty program for rehabilitation, yet he is now being positioned as a Phase One leader."

The group challenged the Amnesty Administrator to provide proof of Oputu’s operational base during the agitation.

"In the River State axis, for instance, everyone knows who the actual leaders are and where their camps were located. That is common knowledge. We challenge Dennis Otuaro to prove to the public where Aroni’s camp was located anywhere in the entire Niger Delta. To make him a leader is madness."

The ex-agitators alleged that during the heat of the Niger Delta struggle, Aroni explicitly refused to join the movement, claiming there was "no money" in it.

"He preferred to be robbing banks," Deseimoh alleged. "As you see him there, he could rob ten banks at a go if given the opportunity. Only God knows if he has truly repented from that evil act. 

And that is the person Dennis Otuaro is using to represent Phase One leaders? It shows Otuaro has a serious mental problem and is simply confused in his office."

To back their claims, the coalition referenced a past video broadcast by prominent ex-militant leader, Gen. Boyloaf. In the video, Boyloaf noted that while the Amnesty Programme was magnanimous enough to accommodate various street elements, including armed robbers to ensure regional peace, those individuals were categorized under Phase Two and Phase Three. They were never meant to represent the core stakeholders of the program.

The coalition drew contrasts between Otuaro's current administration and past leaderships. They recalled that when former PAP Chairman Kingsley Kuku appointed Pastor Reuben to a leadership role, it faced zero resistance because Reuben was a recognized combatant who lived and bled in the creeks.

The group is now demanding an immediate reversal of the decision and a public apology from the Amnesty Administrator. "This decision is an absolute insult, and we demand an apology for this disrespect to the good people of Phase One,"

Deseimoh concluded. "Why should our reputation be dragged through the mud by elevating a known, pathological robber? Dennis Otuaro needs to have his head examined and undergo a proper evaluation. No reasonable, real agitator who actually suffered for this cause will tolerate this rubbish."

The Concerned Niger Delta Ex-Agitators have called on both the federal government and the general public to completely disregard and reject the purported leadership arrangement, warning that such "incompetence" could ruin the hard-earned peace in the region.