Eyengho Alleges: Tompolo handed down gun-on-the-head conditions to leadership of Kantu, Ijaghala to submit ownership of both communities to Gbaramatu-Ijaw

Prominent indigene of Ijaghala and Kantu communities in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, Alex Oritsegbeyiwa Eyengho, has accused Chief High Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) “and his gang” of handing down “gun-on-the-head reprieve conditions”,  to the leadership of Kantu and Ijaghala Communities to announce that the two communities are owned by Gbaramatu-Ijaw, whereas “Ijaghala land is owned by Ugborodo Community, Kantu land is owned by Omadino Community, both in Warri Kingdom, under the Olu of Warri.”

Fresh Angle International, can report that Mr. Eyengho, who noted that “most of the people of Ijaghala and Kantu are by birth partly Itsekiri and Ijaw ethnic groups in Delta State”, stated that Tompolo “have successfully got some Kantu people under duress to address the said press conference, and have fixed Friday, June 13, 2025 for Ijaghala community to follow suit.”

Eyengho, a consummate Filmmaker, Media Practitioner and Public Servant, spoke in Warri, Delta State, Wednesday June 11 during a press conference titled; “DEATH THREAT TO OCCUPANTS OF AND ARSON IN IJAGHALA AND KANTU COMMUNITIES IN THE WARRI SOUTH-WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF DELTA STATE BY MR GOVERNMENT OWEIZIDE EKPEMUPOLO (AKA TOMPOLO) AND HIS GBARANMATU-IJAW GANG: PLEASE SAVE OUR SOULS!”

He stated inter-alia: “Ijaghala Community is a peaceful island located along the Escravos River in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. In the same vein, Kantu is a peaceful community located in a creek off the Escravos River. Most of the people of Ijaghala and Kantu are by birth partly Itsekiri and Ijaw ethnic groups in Delta State. However, the issue of ownership of both Ijaghala and Kantu lands, have been litigated by the Itsekiri (Ugborodo and Omadino communities) versus the Ijaws of Gbaramatu, and long settled by courts of competent jurisdictions, with the judgments known to parties and the public. Simpliciter, while Ijaghala land is owned by Ugborodo Community, Kantu land is owned by Omadino Community, both in Warri Kingdom, under the Olu of Warri.

“This urgent Save-Our-Souls (SOS) cry, is to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Governor of Delta State and the Nigerian security agencies. It is a cry borne out of Ijaghala and Kantu existential threat in the hands of the Ijaws, particularly those of Gbaramatu, under the watch of Tompolo. The death and arson threats issued to Ijaghala, Kantu, Obodo, Omadino, Ugborodo and other Itsekiri communities, became intense and indeed climaxed recently, when videos made by the spokesman of Gbaramatu-Ijaw, Godspower Gbenekama and some other Ijaw youths, started trending on various social media platforms.

“The unacceptable gun-on-the-head reprieve conditions given by Tompolo and his gang to Kantu and Ijaghala communities is that the leadership of both communities should compulsorily address a press conference, where they must announce to the world that the Gbaramatu-Ijaw own both communities, failing which both communities shall be pulverized, sacked and the occupants killed! They have successfully got some Kantu people under duress to address the said press conference, and have fixed Friday, June 13, 2025 for Ijaghala community to follow suit. Since the very unwilling Ijaghala community is next, there is palpable tension everywhere.

 “I am not in doubt whatsoever of the capacity of Tompolo and his gang to carry out their threat against Ijaghala Community, particularly for the following reasons:

“(a). During the wake of the needless fratricidal Warri crisis in the late 90s, Ijaghala Community was the first community along the Escravos River to be completely pulverized and sacked by Tompolo and his Gbaramatu-Ijaw gang, and as such made indigenes and residents of the community to become internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria for over a decade. They did it before. They can do it again!

“(b). A few years ago, the Ijaws did everything to enforce their burial culture on Ijaghala Community to the extent that they forcefully exhumed the corpse of my brother, who was buried in the usual Itsekiri culture, and reburied him in tandem with Ijaw burial culture! What can be more bizarre?!!! The Ijaws have continued to use force of arms and intimidation from time to time in Ijaghala Community, as if the people are conquered!

“(c). At some point, the leadership of Ijaghala community was pressured to publish that the community wishes to leave Madangho Ward in Ugborodo Federated Communities and join Gbaramatu Ward, allegedly as directed by their King and Tompolo. Apparently, the Ijaws are vexed that Ijaghala was captured by INEC and other Government official documents as an Itsekiri community. The community of-course warded off the pressure. Our position has always been that the three (3) units currently in Ijaghala Community is integral part of Madangho Ward in Ugborodo Federated Communities. We cannot exit this Ward for any reason and join Gbaramatu Ward. If anything, we are pushing for a distinct Ward from our 3 Units to be known as Ijaghala Ward. This explains why Tompolo and his gang fraudulently removed one of the three (3) units in Ijaghala under Madangho Ward, and added it to the Gbaramatu ward in the recent controversial INEC delineation exercise in the Warri Federal Constituency! However, we thank God that what INEC presented so far, is a proposal. Meaning that the status quo of the old Wards/Units structure in the Warri Federal Constituency, remains.

“(d). The Gbaramatu-Ijaw also pressured the Ijaghala Community to immediately agree to the change of name of the only school in the community from Egogo Primary School to "Igbeha Primary School." The Ijaghala Community also pushed back on this weird order.

“It is for the above reasons that I call on President Tinubu and the Nigerian security agencies to immediately call on Tompolo and his gang to stop tormenting Ijaghala and Kantu Communities with the threat to forcefully evacuate and pulverize the communities, if the leaderships refuse to abide by their weird and insane orders, which of-course all right-thinking Ijaghala and Kantu Community indigenes are not willing to yield to! Suffice it to also say here that Tompolo is doing all these because of the monopoly he enjoys in the Federal Government pipeline surveillance contract awarded to his TANTITA Company. He is using the humongous money from the contract to intimidate the Itsekiri in their homeland of the Warri Federal Constituency, by forcefully annexing their lands, terrorizing and harassing them on a daily basis, particularly in the riverine communities.

“It is time for Mr. President to take a critical look at this undeserved monopoly currently being enjoyed by Tompolo and his TANTITA Company, in the interest of equity, justice, fair play, and sustainable peace and security in the Warri Federal Constituency.”

Some Itsekiri stakeholders present during the press briefing

The immediate past Secretary to Warri North Local Government, Mr. Samuel Meyiwa Khalil, SMK, who also spoke the media parley, asserted: “What INEC did was very simple, they repeated coordinates at different intervals. If you check, you won’t know until you use GPS coordinate tracking system. If you put one of the coordinates in the GPS tracking system, you will see communities from Ondo state, Edo state, Udu and Ughelli, they made up for the Ijaw of Gbaramatu.

“They took a coordinate from Warri that’s on top water to form a ward, if you put the coordinate on the GPS, it will show you middle of the river and there are no communities in the middle of the river. What INEC did was a complete fraud. These coordinates were manufactured to the detriment of the Itsekiri people.

“Ewein is in Ogbe-Ijoh, a primary school at Ogbe-Ijoh, but they created it and manufactured it to Warri South for the Ijaw people, who are not resident in Warri South.

“Recall when Chief James Onanefe Ibori, was governor, the Miller Waterside where we have shops, where the Ijaw people now occupied for their businesses, Chief Ibori called them and said you people are from Bayelsa State and other states, take money and go back to where you came from. Dr. Uduaghan did same, setup a panel, which was headed by Frank Omare, who is from Ogbe Ijoh, gave the Ijaw people money for them to go back to their state, they took it, left and came back. It is very sad and unfortunate for someone to come and say we have Ijaws in Warri South.”

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