Warri Chiefs to Oborevwori: Rescind your political statement, institute Panel of Inquiry to investigate killing of Ogunbayo

Warri Council of Chiefs, has called on Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to immediately rescind his statement of politicking, regarding the skirmish that occurred in Ekurede Community, Warri, Tuesday September 16 and the subsequent brutal murder of Dele Ogunbayo in the Pessu area of Warri, Thursday September 18, by ‘Military Men’.

The Chiefs, tasked Governor Oborevwori to set up Panel of Inquiry to investigate the crisis, even as they urged the Chief of Amry Staff, to investigate “the attachment of the Military Men to Tantita Security Services Limited.”

Fresh Angle International, can report that Ogwa-Olusan of Warri Kingdom, Chief Brown Mene, made the call at the conference hall of Warri Council of Chiefs, Olu Palace, Warri in Delta State, Saturday September 20, when members of the Warri Council of Chiefs addressed the media.

Whilst also calling on the Inspector General of Police, to immediately conduct a thorough investigation into the recent violence in the Oil-City of Warri, particularly as it relates to the murder of Ogunbayo, the Warri Council of Chiefs, sad the Federal Government, “should review its policy of entrusting security apparatus to private citizens, who has ethnic cleaning agenda such as Tantita Security Services Limited.”

They called on the Ama – Okosu of Ogbe – Ijoh, to restrains the indigenes and people of Ogbe-Ijoh community from any further acts of hooliganism and harassment of the Itsekiri people, demanding the removal of “banners and billboards mounted in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State of Nigeria, same being outside the reign of His Majesty by the judgment of the Lower Court that His Majesty has appealed against.”

On what led to the recent clash in Warri, the Itsekiri Chiefs, went down memory lane, stating: “On the 18th day of September 2025 at about 12midnight, eyewitnesses testify that they had multiple gun shorts, in apprehension, they came out of their house in Pessu Community in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State an aboriginal Itsekiri community. They saw four Trucks with armed military personnel suspected to be attached to Tantita Security Company, a company owned by an Ex-Ijaw Militant the armed men were identified by the shirts/polo and caps, which the military immediately denied, but later we have seen a recent publication of the military claiming responsibility.

“Relevant Intelligence Reports that would have averted the current loss of lives and property:

Security reports reveal that there have been sponsored attempts by this set of people to unsuccessfully provoke violence in the area and disrupt commercial activities and movement of law abiding Deltans. The supporters of the Ama – Okosu of Ogbe – Ijoh, including one Boro, a serving public servant in the Waterways Security Section of the Delta State Government have been threatening to kill more people if the domain of the Ama – Okosu of Ogbe – Ijoh is not extended beyond what the law courts have decided.  Attached here with and marked as Annexures “AR” and “AR1 “ are copies of the social media broadcast by one of such subjects.

“On whether it is true that the Ogbe-Ijoh people have always had electoral Ward(s) in Warri Urban Area.

The claim that Ogbe-Ijoh people had electoral wards in Warri Urban area without any reference to law and/or empirical evidence is one area that is of concern, because many young people of that ethnic extraction are reading and being fed by these publications.

A cross section of some members of Warri Council of Chiefs, during the media briefing

It must therefore be said that the intention of INEC is to make Delta State ungovernable with the assistance of their paymasters.

It must be placed on record however that the Ijaws never at any time had ward(s) in Warri Urban (Warri South Local Government Area) and their wards were only in existence in the larger picture of Warri before it was split into Warri South, Warri South-West and Warri North Local Government Areas, the effect of which was that the Ijaw wards naturally went to other areas different from Warri Urban; which is Warri South-West and Warri North LGAs and nothing more.

We think it is about time that the Delta State Government set up a Panel of Inquiry to look into the illegal occupation of private property in the Warri GRA and the truth will emerge that majority of the people in issue are in illegal occupation of the respective private property therein. These are migratory traders from neighbouring states and LGAs and not permanent residents.

The new community being conjured by the Ijaws in the illegally occupied property belonging to the Itsekiris around the NPA area which they are seeking to name Bolou-Ama or Smooth community is a complete aberration.

In fact, there is no empirical or historical evidence to support the existence of a territorial community known as Bolou-Ama or Smooth in the GRA Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. It is worth noting that both claimants are of Ijaw ethnic origin, and as we will demonstrate, such claims have been legally settled. In addition to empirical evidence, the law has settled this matter on multiple occasions, including: The decision of the High Court of Justice in Suit No: W/277/2012: Chief E.F. Esisi & 10 Ors vs. The Governor of Delta State & 5 Ors, where the court extensively referred to the decision of R.W. Rhodes-Vivour J. inSuit No. W/148/56 before the Warri High Court. This suit involved Chief Izoukumo Olioki & 5 Ors (representing the Ogbe-Ijoh people) Vs Itsekiri Communal Land Trustees and Chief Sam Warri Esi(representing Agbassa and the Igbudu People) regarding the declaration of land title in Warri, including the areas now being claimed by the people of Ogbe-Ijoh of Warri. The relevant portion ofthe ruling is as follows:"On the 9/7/64, this court delivered its Ruling refusing the plaintiffs' application to discontinue after the trial date had been fixed to the knowledge of the parties...The Plaintiffs are hereby precluded from bringing any further actions against any or either of the 1st and 2nd Defendants in respect of the claims of which specific particulars were givenin the Writ of Summons."

The subsequent action initiated by the Ijaw people on the same subject matter was struck out, and in-line with this precedent, the court has once again struck out the action. Furthermore, with the support of prominent Ijaw leaders, the Ama Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh had planned to establish an Ijaw Kingdom called Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom of Warri South. They initially filed a lawsuit against the Local Government Council and the State, but the Itsekiri people raised an objection, resulting in the dismissal of the suit prior to 2020.

Following these developments, the Ijaws filed W/147/2020 Between: W/147/2020 HRM Amaokosu Mobene Vs. The Executive Governor Delta State & 5 Ors, in which the Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh claimed entitlement to royalties in Warri South Local Government Area. After four years of intense legal battle, the suit was struck out for being incompetent and lacking merit. The suit was secretly filed in Asaba instead of Warri, and they pursued it covertly, almost securing a judgment until the Itsekiris discovered and joined the case. The matter was then transferred back to Warri in 2022.

Judgment was eventually delivered on March 26, 2024, in favor of the Itsekiris. The Ijaws have now appealed to the Court of Appeal, and we are prepared to meet them there, provided they have the courage to notify we openly, unlike their usual practice of clandestinely obtaining judgments without proper disclosure.

“On why the conduct of the Ama – Okosu of Ogbe – Ijoh amounts to an offence in law:

His Majesty is the Appellant in the appeal coming up on the 30^th day of September, 2025, He, having lost and being dissatisfied with the judgment of the trial court as Claimant thereat.

His Majesty very well knows, Ogbe-Ijoh and the stool of His Majesty is in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State of Nigeria distinct from Warri South Local Government Area to which His Majesty has been attempting to extend His reign.

That it was the objective of His Majesty to act in the manner described in paragraph above that led to His Majesty’s institution of the Suit No: W/147/2020 Between: H.R.M, Monbene III, Ama – Okosu of Ogbe – Ijoh vs. The Executive Governor of Delta State & 5 Ors wherein His Majesty sought the following reliefs:

A declaration that by the Delta State Gazette No. 3 of 21st January 1999, the Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh is one of the traditional rulers in Warri South Local Government Area.

A declaration that by the combined provisions of the Delta State Gazette No. 3 of 21st January 1999 and the Laws of Delta State Ratification Law 2010, the Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri is one of the traditional rulers in Warri South Local Government Area.

The precise act of disturbances of public peace which has already led to the loss of lives and property and continues to so do, is the mounting of Coronation Anniversary banners outside the domain of His Majesty and therein describing the domain as Warri South and Warri South-West Local Government Area; the very subject matter of the judgment which His Majesty has now appealed against, and which appeal is yet pending.”

The Egogo of Warri Kingdom, Chief (Barr.) Robinson Ariyo, who also addressed newsmen, stated: “We carried our investigations for the first 48hrs, immediately the incident occurred, the position of the military was quite clear that they were not involved at all.

“The military men can not be seen to be approbating and reprobating, we want to choose to accept what they said in the first 48hrs (regarding the brutal murder of Ogunbayo) not the latest statement issued 72hrs after.

“The military pointed to the nature of firearms. Our reaction to emergency case, is different from our reaction to normal case. What I have here is a threat from an Ijaw WhatsApp group, saying somebody will be killed in Pessu. Less than 6hrs before this man (Dele Ogunbayo) was shot dead.”

While reacting to a question put forward by a Journalist concerning Governor Oborevwori’s statement Friday September 19, Chief Ariyo, asserted: “This is not a time for we to say we should start talking about social media, we are talking about lives.

“The primary duty of government is to protect lives and property. The murder of a person is to be considered by the government as homicide.

“A government that fails in its duty in protecting lives and property, is not a government. The death of a human being, should touch every other human being, irrespective of the tribe.”

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