By Olusegun Olanrewaju
A group, Itsekiri Human Rights Watch (HRW), has petitioned President Bola Tinubu, urging him to urgently call on an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Delta State, Ayiri Emami, to order an allegation of threat to the lives of its members.
In a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the President made available yesterday to ThisNigeria, the group said it was making the call with a sad heart on behalf of the Itsekiri people, “whose communities and natives are now being terrorised, traumatised, threatened, and constantly intimidated. Our crime? An unwavering allegiance to our king”.
It said, among other things, “Mr President, we bring you warm greetings from Warri Kingdom, the home of the Itsekiri People. Warri Kingdom comprises Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South West Local Government Area, all in Delta State, Nigeria. The Itsekiri people are also found in Ondo State and Edo State.”
Alleging that it implored the President to use his good office to call Emami to order, he added, “Else, it will be taken that truly, he has you and the NSA in his pocket; hence, you cannot uphold the constitution you swore to protect.”
It added, “Your Excellency, Mr President, since the coronation of our Revered Monarch and Father, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri, on August 21, 2021, one Mr. Ayiri Emami, a member of your party – the All Progressives Party (APC) in Delta State, has been on rampage, causing public disorder, threatening peaceful co-existence, and boasting both secretly and publicly, that he has the backing of the presidency, especially the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to take laws into his hands by beating, maiming, assaulting, and attempting to kill innocent Itsekiri citizens.
“Ayiri has continued to attack both in the print, electronic, and social media since his ascension to the throne, under the guise that our King Mother is Yoruba, and as such, is not fit to ascend the ancient stool of Warri Kingdom a stool that is an offshoot of the throne of Oduduwa.”
The group further wrote, “Mr. President, we boldly say that Mr. Ayiri Emami is not acting alone, but with the full support of some other APC members and his sympathizers.
“Sir, it may interest you to know that aside from several occasions in which Ayiri had demonstrated that he meant his words for the past two years, on February 2, 2024, when His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri, visited the Ugborodo community to assess a fire incident and offer prayers for the blessing of the land, Mr Ayiri Emami mobilised armed thugs not only to threaten to kill, but his armed thugs went ahead to block the landing jetty in Ode-Ugborodo with debris so that His Majesty would find it impossible enter the community.
“On that occasion, some of the people were too traumatised to leave home, as they were held in their homes against their will. Some of those who dared to welcome His Majesty were afraid to return to their homes for fear of being beaten up by the thugs associated with Ayiri Emami, among many others.”
The group, therefore, submitted, “Mr President, we have been facing these horrors from Ayiri for over three years now, despite the ongoing litigation challenging the coronation of His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri.
“One wonders what would have been the state of Nigeria today if the opponents of Mr. President in the 2023 general elections had decided to take the laws into their hands by maiming and brutalizing law-abiding citizens while the court process was ongoing under the guise of rigged the polls, just as Mr. Ayiri Emami is doing today.
“Mr. President, peace in Itsekiri land and the Warri Kingdom is holy as it is one of the naturally endowed cities blessed with vast oil and gas resources.
“Your mandate for a better and prosperous Nigeria must not be jeopardised by those who ‘claim’ to be close to the corridors of power.”
