IYE RESPONDS TO PUBLICATION BY ITSEKIRI TANTITA COORDINATORS, ACCUSES TANTITA SECURITY SERVICES OF SYSTEMIC RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

IYE RESPONDS TO PUBLICATION BY ITSEKIRI TANTITA COORDINATORS, ACCUSES TANTITA SECURITY SERVICES OF SYSTEMIC RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

The Itsekiri Youth Elites (IYE), led by President Lilywhite O. Esigbone and Secretary Eboma Tuoyo Michael, issues this statement in response to a recent publication disseminated by individuals identifying as Itsekiri Coordinators for Tantita Security Services Limited.

The IYE categorically rejects the assertions contained in said publication and deems the Coordinators’ attempt to whitewash and legitimize the alleged ongoing human rights violations by Tantita Security Services as both misleading and injurious to the collective dignity and interests of the Itsekiri people.

According to the IYE, credible and consistent reports from affected communities point to an alarming pattern of conduct by Tantita Security that amounts to grave infringements upon the constitutional rights of Nigerian citizens of Itsekiri descent. These acts include, but are not limited to:

The militarization of peaceful riverine communities;

The unlawful occupation and use of ancestral Itsekiri lands without community consent or lawful acquisition;

The abduction, detention, and incommunicado holding of Itsekiri youths and community leaders in locations outside the oversight of constitutionally established security and judicial mechanisms.

Such conduct, if substantiated, would constitute flagrant violations of several provisions of Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), particularly the rights to personal liberty, dignity of the human person, and freedom of movement and assembly.

The IYE further contends that the public posture adopted by the Itsekiri Coordinators of Tantita amounts to a gross dereliction of moral duty to their constituents. It appears, from available indications, that their loyalty has been suborned by pecuniary interest, rendering their positions compromised and their narratives disingenuous. Their defense of Tantita's alleged misconduct is not only reckless but injurious to the broader cause of community integrity and human rights advocacy.

Moreover, the IYE expresses serious concerns about the unchecked powers seemingly conferred on Tantita Security through its pipeline surveillance contract, powers that are now reportedly exercised without legal regulation, civilian oversight, or respect for due process.

Specifically, the IYE has documented allegations of Tantita operatives invading and maintaining unlawful presence in no fewer than 20 Itsekiri riverine communities, including Akpata, Aja-Ugbodundun, Uso, Sahara, Kantu, and Ijaghala. The residents of these areas, by multiple accounts, live under conditions tantamount to intimidation and occupation.

In view of the foregoing, the IYE hereby:

1. Demands an immediate and independent investigation by the Federal Government, the National Human Rights Commission, and relevant law enforcement and security regulatory bodies into the activities of Tantita Security Services in Itsekiri communities;

2. Calls for the full enforcement of constitutional safeguards protecting the liberty and dignity of all Nigerian citizens, including those in resource-bearing regions;

3. Insists on the urgent demilitarization of Itsekiri communities and the withdrawal of all unauthorized security operatives acting under private or quasi-governmental cover.

The IYE remains unshaken in its resolve to defend the rights, heritage, and dignity of the Itsekiri nation and urges all well-meaning stakeholders, traditional institutions, civil society, and the international human rights community, to take due notice and action.

EVIDENCE AND SOURCES

Facebook Testimony & Video 1

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ES97TdKS2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Sahara Reporters on Tompolo’s Militant Ties (2008)

https://saharareporters.com/2008/12/31/asari-dokubo-me-henry-okahjomo-gbomo-judith-asuni-and-niger-delta-insurgency

Arms Importation Scandal (2012)

https://saharareporters.com/2012/07/24/jonathan-gives-'tompolo-contracr-supply-20-marine-patrol-vesseld-navy

Obasanjo’s Public Questions to Jonathan (2015)

https://www.nigerianeye.com/2015/01/revealed-5-questions-obasanjo-asked.html?m=1

Tantita Accused of Crimes (Facebook Video)

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EvpEeWfdP/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16r3vs7Vm4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Cell Facility at Opuraja

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16cqhrtsy9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Signed:

Lily-white O. Esigbone

President, Itsekiri Youth Elites (IYE)

Eboma M. Tuoyo

Secretary, Itsekiri Youth Elites (IYE)

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