...Probe Otuaro, Police Conduct and Alleged Attempt on My Life

A Niger Delta stakeholder and self-described founding partner of the Kaiama Declaration, Mr. Cletus Kwalekeme (JP), has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over what he described as alleged threats, abduction, assault and an attempt on his life following his public advocacy on issues affecting ex-militants and the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

In a petition dated September 18, 2026, and addressed to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, Kwalekeme alleged that his activities and social-media publications concerning the welfare of Niger Delta ex-militants led to his arrest, pressure to remove certain posts and, subsequently, his alleged abduction in Delta State.

The Kaiama Declaration, adopted by Ijaw youths in December 1998, was a major document in the Niger Delta struggle over resource control, self-determination and the rights of communities in the oil-producing region. Historical accounts place the declaration within the broader movement that preceded the emergence of militant groups and later government interventions in the region. 

Kwalekeme said his advocacy had focused on what he described as the welfare and entitlements of former militants, as well as alleged irregularities surrounding contractors, arrests, harassment and other activities connected with the Amnesty Programme.

He specifically made allegations concerning the administration of Dr. Dennis Otuaro, who was appointed Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in 2024. Recent reporting has identified Otuaro as the incumbent administrator and has also reported praise for reforms under his leadership, including a greater emphasis on education, professional training, entrepreneurship and reintegration. 

In his petition, however, Kwalekeme alleged that about 80 per cent of stipends meant for ex-militants had been diverted through Bureau de Change operators. He did not provide details of any official finding establishing the allegation in the material submitted with the petition, but said he possessed documents, certified statements of account, voice notes and other materials which he believed could assist an investigation.

According to him, the controversy intensified after his arrest on July 9, 2026, while travelling from Asaba to Zone 5 in Benin City.

He said he was questioned by the police and subsequently released to a surety, with an instruction to produce witnesses who could substantiate the information he had presented. Kwalekeme said he complied.

He alleged that he was later asked to remove social-media posts concerning Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, and Otuaro. He further alleged that he was offered compensation if he deleted the posts but refused, insisting that he had a responsibility to continue raising concerns about the welfare of Niger Delta ex-militants.

Kwalekeme claimed that he was subsequently told by the police that he was “on his own.”

His most serious allegation concerns what he described as an abduction the following day.

According to his account, unidentified persons took him to an unknown location around the Ughelli axis of Delta State, where he said he was beaten, threatened and forced at gunpoint to ingest an unknown substance.

He alleged that his abductors made references to his earlier interaction with the police at Zone 5 and linked the alleged attack to his refusal to delete his social-media publications.

Kwalekeme said he was beaten with a stick around the neck and struck on the head with a pistol before being forced to take the unidentified substance.

He claimed that he eventually escaped and reached A Division Police Station in Ughelli, where he made what he described as a dying declaration about the incident.

According to his petition, the Divisional Police Officer, after observing his condition, directed that he be taken to Central Hospital, Ughelli, for urgent medical treatment.

Kwalekeme said he survived the incident but continues to experience health problems which he attributes to the alleged assault and forced ingestion.

The allegations contained in the petition have not, in the material available for this report, been independently established, and there was no response from Otuaro, Kwalekeme’s alleged abductors or the police included in the document.

Kwalekeme said the sequence of events had left him fearful for his safety and uncertain about remaining in Delta State. He told the Inspector-General of Police that he believed individuals connected with the issues he had been raising could be aware of documents and other evidence in his possession.

He is asking the Inspector-General to direct the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 5, Benin City, to transfer the case file to Force Headquarters in Abuja for what he described as a comprehensive and independent investigation.

His request covers the conduct of police officers involved in the matter, the allegations against Otuaro, the alleged abductors and broader issues surrounding the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

He also asked for protection, citing what he described as the combination of his arrest, alleged pressure to delete his publications, subsequent abduction, assault and alleged attempt on his life.

The petition says Kwalekeme is prepared to submit the documents and other materials in his possession, including a consent judgment, certified statements of account and alleged voice notes from Bureau de Change operators.

For a region where questions of resource control, ex-militant welfare, government intervention and security have remained politically and socially sensitive, the allegations now place the police under pressure to establish what happened, identify those responsible for any criminal acts and determine whether the claims concerning the Amnesty Programme have evidentiary basis.

The next stage will depend on whether the police open an investigation, verify the evidence said to be in Kwalekeme’s possession and obtain responses from the individuals and institutions named in the petition.