EBENEZER ADUROKIYA, Warri
The Chairman of the Administrative and Development Committee of Ogidigben Community in the Ugborodo Federated Communities, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, Mr Tony Edegbele, has called on the Federal and Delta State governments to urgently dislodge what he described as “armed invaders” currently occupying Ogidigben.
He also demanded the immediate deployment of “neutral and professional security forces to Ogidigben and other Ugborodo federating communities — Ode-Ugborodo, Ajudaibo, Madangho and Ijaghala — to restore peace, prevent further violence and ensure accountability.”
Mr Edegbele made the call during a media briefing held in Warri, Delta State, on Saturday, December 27.
He further requested an “independent and transparent investigation into the invasion, destruction of property, alleged involvement of political actors and reported security complicity,” as well as protection for “law-abiding citizens who uphold the Olu of Warri’s traditional authority, without fear of persecution or reprisal.”
While stressing that “the people of Ugborodo are Itsekiri, and the Itsekiri Nation is historically and culturally unified under one King, one language and one traditional authority,” Edegbele added that “Ugborodo Community, in all its federating units, falls unequivocally under the overlordship of the Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR.”
He claimed that on the morning of December 20, 2025, as Ogidigben and other Ugborodo communities gathered at the palace of the Olu of Warri to celebrate the legitimate conferment of a chieftaincy title on Captain John Okpeyor Daje, a protest at the Chevron Tank Farm escalated and “metastasised into a full-scale assault,” with youths allegedly mobilised from Warri to invade Ogidigben.
According to Edegbele, the alleged invasion on December 20 overwhelmed unarmed residents, including elders, women, children and youths, who reportedly fled into the bush to save their lives.
“After forcing residents to evacuate, the attackers seized and occupied Ogidigben, proceeding with systematic destruction. Homes were broken into and looted; personal belongings, cash, household items and business assets were plundered. Conservative estimates place the losses in the hundreds of millions of naira,” he stated.
He further alleged that during the invasion, an Itsekiri man, who is not an indigene of any Ugborodo community, was killed, “likely due to friendly fire.”
“There is a deliberate, coordinated effort to misattribute his death to Ogidigben, which fled and remained unarmed,” Edegbele claimed.
Speaking further, he said: “We speak today with an unwavering resolve to defend our people and the integrity of the Nigerian state.
This briefing is essential to expose and condemn the brazen, unprovoked aggression against Ogidigben Community on December 20, 2025. What some have euphemistically called a ‘clash’ or ‘misunderstanding’ was, in fact, a meticulously planned, well-funded and barbaric armed assault designed to terrorise a peaceful community for remaining faithful to the Warri Kingdom and the Olu of Warri.”
Edegbele also asserted that administratively, the Ugborodo federation is governed by the Eghare-Aja, with each constituent community led by an Olare-Aja and supported by its own traditional and administrative structures.
He added that the Ugborodo Community Trust, a recognised body, administers the affairs of the federation.
He reiterated that the people of Ugborodo are Itsekiri and that the Itsekiri Nation remains historically and culturally unified under one King, one language and one traditional authority, noting that Ugborodo, in all its federating units, remains unequivocally under the overlordship of the Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR.
Edegbele further alleged that the ongoing crisis was engineered by elements intent on coercing Ogidigben and the wider Ugborodo community into open defiance of the sovereign authority of the Olu of Warri.
He also claimed that the December 13, 2025 protest at the Chevron Escravos Tank Farm in Ode-Ugborodo “occurred without consultation or approval from Ugborodo leadership, the Ugborodo Community Trust or relevant traditional authorities.”
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