Abiteye Oil Spill: Ijaw threat to Chevron facility a ploy to seize Itsekiri Community lands—–Group

By Our Correspondent

THE Itsekiri Liberation Group(ILG) on behalf of Itsekiri people in Bateren, Deghele and Omadino Communities has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over threat to attack Chevron Abiteye Oil facility on their land as a ploy to attack and seize their land. 


In  letter addressed to President Buhari and signed by the Chairman and Secretary, Comrades Mone Orits and Omagbemi Ajorfotan, the IGL called on President Buhari and all relevant security agencies to take urgent steps to stem another round of crisis in the Niger Delta region because of its disastrous economic effects on the revenue base of the country, saying that Chevron and the Federal Government knows that the land in question belongs to the Itsekiri as confirm by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The ownership of Abiteye, Utunana and Markaraba in the riverine Communities in Warri South and Warri South West local government area of Delta State belong to the Itsekiri’s of Bateren, Deghele, Omadino from time immemorial and have long been decided by the Supreme Court of Nigeria. 

According to the IGL the “Ijaw youths of Gbaramatu seems to be ignorant of their own history, whose parents, grandparents and great grandparents have been our customary tenant for centuries are threatening their Itsekiri peace loving landlords that they want to embark on a full blown war. This is evident in their publications of 14th and 15th of April , 2021  and the subsequent release of videos by Gbaramatu youths where they made very provocative statements, issuing illegal and unconstitutional evacuation notice to the itsekiri from their own land”.

” extract from their publications on Gbaramatuvoice newspaper runs thus;

1. That all Itsekiri’s living in Abiteye , Utunana and Markaraba flow station, Itsekiri home land should evacuate those area within 24 hours. This act is barbaric and capable of causing anarchy in Delta State. 

2. That the head of the Gbaramatu clan, Pere Oboro-Gbaraun II (Aketekpe, Agadagba) and his Chiefs has mandated their youths to make good their threat on the Itsekiri people and the oil installation in those areas within the shortest possible time. 

3. That the Ijaws of Gbaramatu has acquired enough arms and ammunitions and are ready to destroy the smooth operation of the oil companies and exterminate the Itsekiris from their ancestral and God given homeland. 

The IGL revealed that the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro and Chief Government Ekpemukpolo a.k.a Tompolo are their main financial backbone while the Commissioner of Oil and Gas in Delta State Hon. Amgbaduba has also shown to us ( Itsekiri) that he is not interested in peace as he has clearly asked his kinsmen to kill our people and destroy our communities and Oil facilities in our domain. 

It noted that in view of all the dangers that the Ijaws portends to Itsekiris and the threat of destruction of Oil facilities and installations, “we are calling on the Federal Government to act swiftly and decisively before the Ijaws actualize their satanic plots against the Itsekiris and Oil installations”.

They therefore call on the the DSS to track down and arrest those fanning the ember of war. All Ijaw stakeholders that are beating drums of war, financing this crisis should be identified, investigated and prosecuted. 

The IGL called on the Federal government to immediately deploy the military to the aforementioned communities and oil installations in our land and further demand that the multinational oil companies (Chevron) follow due process by involving all parties in carrying out the JIV in the affected area where the oil spillage occured. 

“Failure to deal with these war mongers will lead  to total breakdown of law and order in Warri and other riverine areas in Delta state, warning that if the Federal Government refused to act swiftly against these interlopers, ursurpers and impostors and create a platform for the constitutional rights  of our people to be up