Sobomabo Jackrich, leader of the Niger Delta Liberation Force, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the inclusion of former members of his group in the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

Jackrich, popularly known as Egberipapa, said more than 4,000 former agitators associated with his camp have remained outside the programme for about 17 years.

He made the appeal in a letter to the president, asking the Federal Government to address what he described as the continued exclusion of the affected former agitators from the benefits of the amnesty scheme.

Jackrich said the Senate had in 2021 directed that members of his group be integrated into the programme and allocated 2,000 slots.

He recalled that he submitted a petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions in April 2021 over the alleged marginalisation of members of the Egberipapa camp.

According to him, the committee subsequently directed the then interim administrator of the amnesty programme to explain how funds had been managed and provide records showing how slots were distributed among various former agitator groups.

Jackrich expressed disappointment that the directives had not been fully implemented, saying the situation had created a strong feeling of injustice among the affected former agitators and their families.

He said he had personally supported the welfare of members of the group for several years while waiting for the Federal Government to resolve the matter.

The Niger Delta leader warned that prolonged frustration could push some aggrieved individuals towards unlawful actions if their grievances continued to receive no meaningful response.

He urged the affected former agitators to remain committed to peaceful and constitutional means of seeking redress.

Jackrich also asked President Tinubu to order an independent forensic and performance audit of the Presidential Amnesty Programme from its establishment to the present.

He said such an audit would determine whether the programme had been properly managed and identify any weaknesses that may require corrective measures.

He appealed to the Federal Government to resolve the issue and ensure that the excluded former agitators are given an opportunity to benefit from the programme.