Eyengho alleges death threat by Gbaramatu-Ijaws, says his phone line bugged

Popular filmmaker of Itsekiri extraction, community leader and journalist, Mr. Alex Eyengho, has raised alarm over alleged threat to his life by Gbaramatu-Ijaws of Warri South-West Local Government Area in Delta State, saying his phone line has been bugged and his activities being monitored.

Eyengho, who raised the alarm in a press statement widely syndicated Wednesday June 18, said he received direct and indirect calls, with warnings to watch his back.

Whilst responding to statements and publications credited to spokesman of Gbaramatu kingdom, High Chief Godspower Gbenekama, the APC Chieftain, noted: “Contrary to the lies told by Godspower Gbenekama, the leadership of Ijaghala community did not invite the Gbaramatu Ijaws to Ijaghala community for any press conference. They stormed the community by force of arms, using stick and carrot. This explains why not a single executive member of the Ijaghala Community Management Committee (ICMC), the Olare-Aja of Ijaghala community, and other members of the Ijaghala Council of Elders, was present. Only about 5 Ijaghala indigenes were part of the spectators at the stage play arena, and among them, only Chief Sam Eyengho is worth mentioning.

“In-fact, over 95 percent of the remaining participant and spectators, including Godspower Gbenekama and his other co Gbaramatu clan Chiefs, youths, etc, were mobilized from Gbabor. The so-called letterhead paper of “Ijaghala Community” used to sign and publish the kangaroo press conference as a full-page advertorial in the Vanguard Newspapers of Monday, June 16, 2025, at page 28, was manifestly fake, and indeed a criminal act.” 

Below is major aspects of Mr. Alex Eyengho’s press statement:

Gentlemen of the Press. I bring you warm greetings. My name is Alex EYENGHO. I am a bona fide indigene of Ijaghala, Kantu, Ode-Ugborodo, Abiugborodo, Orubu, Bobi, Ebrohimi, Koko, Omadino, Orugbo, Gbolokposo, Ode-Itsekiri, among other communities; all in the Warri South, Warri North and Warri South-West Local Government Areas (Warri Federal Constituency) of Delta State, Nigeria. However, I am a registered voter in Ijaghala community.

You will recall that I addressed a press conference on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 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 Gbaramatu-Ijaw gang: Please, Save Our Souls.”   

At the press conference, I stated, among other things that the Gbaramatu-Ijaws had concluded plans to storm Ijaghala Community on Friday, June 13, 2025 to compel Ijaghala community leadership under duress to address a kangaroo press conference and declare that the Gbaramatu-Ijaws own Ijaghala community. As you may know by now, they did stormed Ijaghala community as planned, but did not bargain for what they met on the ground, and as such, characters like Godspower Gbenekama, Chief Sam Eyengho, one Grace Remere Ukunoritsemofe, and several others mobilized from Gbabor (now changed to Oporoza) settlement, ended up putting up a poorly performed stage play, in the name of press conference. Gentlemen of the press, to separate reality and facts from the poor fictional stage play performed by these costumed neophyte actors, largely from Gbabor settlement and other settlements in the Gbaramatu-Ijaw clan, the points below may interest you:

1.     Contrary to the lies told by Godspower Gbenekama, the leadership of Ijaghala community did not invite the Gbaramatu Ijaws to Ijaghala community for any press conference. They stormed the community by force of arms, using stick and carrot. This explains why not a single executive member of the Ijaghala Community Management Committee (ICMC), the Olare-Aja of Ijaghala community, and other members of the Ijaghala Council of Elders, was present. Only about 5 Ijaghala indigenes were part of the spectators at the stage play arena, and among them, only Chief Sam Eyengho is worth mentioning. In-fact, over 95 percent of the remaining participant and spectators, including Godspower Gbenekama and his other co Gbaramatu clan Chiefs, youths, etc, were mobilized from Gbabor. The so-called letterhead paper of “Ijaghala Community” used to sign and publish the kangaroo press conference as a full-page advertorial in the Vanguard Newspapers of Monday, June 16, 2025, at page 28, was manifestly fake, and indeed a criminal act. 

2.     Godpower Gbenekama once again advertised himself to the world as a poor and terrible student of basic history, when he stated in a mock bravado that the Itsekiri came from Benin through Prince Ginuwa. Even my 6-year old son, knows of a fact that the Itsekiri history is dual. The Itsekiri communities of Ugborodo, Omadino, Inorin, Ureju and Irigbo, existed in the Warri area from time immemorial, before the coming of Prince Ginuwa of the great Benin Kingdom and his entourage, to birth the Warri Kingdom, in a merger between the royal family from Benin and the Itsekiri people. On the flipside, the Gbaramatu-Ijaw clan who are strictly in Warri South-West LGA, migrated from Gbanran in today’s Bayelsa State, through their progenitor, Tomtebe, who begat Oweijubiri, and settled wherever they are today, with the permission of either Ugborodo or Omadino communities of Warri Kingdom. Gbenekama may wish to consult me for proper historical tutorials, with the precision of a veteran sniper.

3.     As for my brother, Chief Sam Eyengho, who claimed to have attended primary school, where again? In the year he mentioned, that settlement was known as Gbabor and not Oporoza it has been changed to today. Perhaps a show of his primary school living certificate, will help to clarify this. Chief Sam also rightly traced his paternal ancestry from Oweijubiri (he actually skipped the lead progenitor, Tomtebe, who was the father of Oweijubiri) to Igbeha (who was murdered by his Gbaramatu-Ijaw kinsmen from Gbabor/Oporoza), to Egogo, to Erueyin, to Eyengho, to Nawe and to him, Sam Eyengho. It would have been nice for him to trace his Ugborodo Community maternal ancestry too, as the owner of Ijaghala community. Suffice it to say that Chief Sam Eyengho and I are first cousins, paternally. This means that we both share the same paternal-paternal and paternal-maternal ancestry. Like I said in my previous press conference, majority of the people of Ijaghala are by birth partly Itsekiri and Ijaw ethnic groups in Delta State. However, the issue of ownership of Ijaghala land, have been litigated by the Itsekiri (Ugborodo and Omadino communities in Warri Kingdom) versus the Ijaws of Gbaramatu clan, and long settled by courts of competent jurisdictions, with the judgments known to parties and the public. Simpliciter, Ijaghala land is owned by Ugborodo Community in Warri Kingdom, under the Olu of Warri, but majority of the people are partly Itsekiri and Ijaw. Suffice it to say that the official language in Ijaghala community and of Ijaghala people, is Itsekiri, without alternative. The culture and tradition in the community and of the people, is also Itsekiri. It may interest you to know that other key ancestors of Ijaghala people like Egogo, Erueyin and Eyengho, were all buried at Oboro, the final resting place reserved exclusively for Ugborodo indigenes who are considered as Saints, advocates and protectors of Ugborodo culture and tradition. If this does not speak volume to the world regarding the ownership of Ijaghala community, I wonder what else will. It is only fake, stupid, wicked, mischievous, irresponsible and useless fathers that will be screaming to the rooftop on their children: “Don’t you know I am your father? You must tell the world through the mass media that I am your father. I will continue to burn your house, property and kill you all, if you don’t agree and announce to the world that I am you father.” For majority of us the indigenes, Ijaghala community is our motherland. Nothing can change this.

4.     Gentlemen of the press, it is on this note that I put on record that my life is under threat by the Gbaramatu-Ijaws, from top to bottom. If anything bad should happen to me, please don’t look elsewhere, but Gbaramatu-Ijaw clan. My phone line has been bugged. I am as such being monitored. I receive direct and indirect calls with warnings to watch my back. However, I refuse to be intimidated by any human being, no matter how highly placed in the society, rich or reputably violent in the most dangerous manner. I shall continue to speak the truth with the facts known to me.

5.     Finally, let me for the umpteenth time call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian security agencies to immediately call on Tompolo and his gang to stop tormenting Ijaghala, Kantu and other Itsekiri 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 Itsekiris are not willing to yield to! I also state again that Tompolo is doing all he is doing 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. Perhaps 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.”

×