Itsekiris Demand FG’s Intervention Amid Threats from Tompolo
Residents of Ijaghala, Kantu and other towns say they are being pressured to declare their land Ijaw, claims Ijaw leaders reject.
Itsekiri communities in Warri, Delta State, have called on President Bola Tinubu and state authorities to intervene following allegations of threats from former Niger Delta militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo.
Community representative Alex Oritsegbeyiwa Eyengho said in a statement that residents of Ijaghala, Kantu, and several other towns are facing intimidation from members of the Gbaramatu-Ijaw group, allegedly under Tompolo’s influence.
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The group alleges that community members are being pressured to publicly declare their communities as Ijaw territory or face violent reprisals. “They did it before, during the Warri crisis, and they can do it again,” Eyengho said, referencing past conflicts in the region.
However, Ijaw leaders have rejected the claims. Comrade Austin Ozobo, President of the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, said Tompolo is not threatening anyone and insisted that the contested communities rightfully belong to the Ijaw people. “The Itsekiris are tenants in those areas,” he added.
Tompolo’s media aide, Dr Paul Bebenimibo, also dismissed the allegations.
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