…point accusation finger at Tompolo
…insist fragile peace in Niger Delta threatened by this development
…condemn invasion of Ugborodo by militants
Peeved by the erection of an Ijaw juju shrine in Ugborodo in Delta State, Itsekiri indigenes have written to President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately help relocate the shrine to avoid mayhem.
This was contained in an open letter to Buhari and signed by Hon. Mofe Joseph Pirah and Tenumah Joseph Oloru on behalf of Ugborodo Community.
The letter addressed to the NSA, IGP, Army, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff, the DSS were all copied.
In the letter the Itsekiri leaders pointed the accusation finger at Mr. Government Ekpemupolo (Alias “Tompolo”) who they claimed led militants into the community to erect the juju shrine.
They went memory lane giving account of previous crisis in Warri that is yet to be properly resolved by the Federal Government and the Delta State government.
“Your Excellency is aware of the relative and fragile peace in the oil-bearing riverine region of Delta State and the entire Niger Delta region of the South-South States of Nigeria which was attained by strenuous efforts and huge cost by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“We hasten to say Sir, that the attainment of the said fragile peace in the region was facilitated and achieved by the compromise of our People (the Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality) which included our community; Ugborodo, as a part thereof. It is a notorious fact that during the Warri crisis that snowballed into the Niger Delta crisis, several Itsekiri communities including the Ugborodo Community was invaded and burnt down by the unprovoked attack by Ijaw militants led by Mr. Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo).
“As if the burning and devastation of our villages were not enough, many of the devastated Itsekiri communities were forcibly occupied by the Ijaw aggressors in a most annoying and provocative manner. All of the above provocative acts, our people have tolerated and have had to live without insisting on a pound of flesh in order to facilitate the efforts of the Federal Government in bringing peace to the Niger Delta Area.
“Since the end of the Warri crisis, the people of Ugborodo and the entire Itsekiri nation have waited on the Government of Delta State and the Federal Government to com plete the peace building process by asking the Ijaws to vacate their occupied places in Itsekiri communities and relocating our displaced people to their ancestral land. Regrettably, this had not been accomplished.
“Furthermore, we regret to say that the unfolding events and the provocative activities of Mr. Government Ekpemupolo in the riverine area of Delta State do not seem to justify the pious hope of our people for a lasting peace in our riverine communities in particular and in the Niger Delta Region in general.
“For instance, on Monday the 8 th day of November 2021, Mr. Government Ekpemupolo led over 150 armed Ijaw militants to invade our peaceful and serene Ugborodo community. They in fact came with over 20 boats carrying sophisticated arms and chanti ng war songs. Together with his marauding gang moved into Saghara pa rt of Ugborodo Community (that Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited named their flow station after) and erect a shrine to henceforth serve their Ijaw deity.
“Saghara Creek i s named after Saghara land which is part of Ugborodo community where Ugborodo People had lived and carried on the business of fishing at the mouth of the creek from time immemorial. Mr. Tompolo and his armed militants have now renamed this age long Ugborod o settlement as “Sarabubor”. unacceptable, and indeed a call for anarchy .
“This is outrightly It is crystal clear from the foregoing that Mr. Tompolo does not believe in the efforts of the State and Federal Government to restore lasting peace to the Oil be aring area of the Niger Delta region. Unfortunately, he still believes in the primordial concept of expansion by conquest. Another case in point, is the near annexation of Kpokpo settlement on Ugborodo Land where he had come to lodge some of his militants.
“Most worrisome of it all is the fact , that these acts of unprovoked aggression were carried out by Mr. Tompolo in the presence of security agents, mostly soldiers attached to Chevron Nigeria Limited which ofcourse sign posts CNL’s acting in connivance.
“We, the people of Ugborodo Community consider Mr. Tompolo’s invasion of our land as a clarion call for war against our people. f We cannot continue to tolerate the orcible and audacious annexation of our ancestral land by a lawless non state actor whose stock in trade is anarchy and war.
“It is in the light of the foregoing that we have decided to bring to your kind attention these dangerous activities of Mr. Tompolo which portend grave and imminent threat to peace in Ugborodo land in particular and the Niger Delta region in general.
“We would indeed appreciate if you would use your good offices to move hastily and rein in Mr. Tompolo to remove him and his shrine from Ugborodo land before our people who are otherwise peace-loving are forced to defend their land by themselves. Kindly accept the assurance of our highest respect, Please.
