Leaders and stakeholders of Alagbabiri Community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to urgently intervene in the lingering boundary dispute between the community and its neighbours, alleging recurring attacks and killings.
The community leaders made the appeal during a media interaction, saying the dispute had persisted for years and had continued to threaten the lives and property of residents.
The President-General of the community, Chief Ekpobimi Philip, said Alagbabiri had historically maintained peaceful relations with neighbouring communities, including Oboro, Bomadi and Orhota, until the discovery of oil heightened disputes over land, boundaries and economic interests.
“Our neighbouring communities had on several occasions crossed into Alagbabiri territory and attacked or abducted members of the community,” Philip alleged.
He recalled a 1995 incident in which people from Oboro allegedly entered Alagbabiri at night, killed residents and destroyed property, including houses worth millions of naira.
Philip said the latest alleged abduction of two Alagbabiri youths on August 3, 2026, had renewed fears among residents.
“On August 3, 2026, some Alagbabiri youths who had gone for legitimate business were intercepted by people from Oboro, who allegedly crossed the river separating the communities, captured them and took them away by boat,” he said.
He said the community contacted the Delta State Commissioner of Police, whose intervention led to the youths being taken to the police station.
The community’s Legal Adviser, Comrade Fidelis Okperigho, said several efforts to resolve the dispute had failed, despite repeated appeals to the authorities.
“We have written to the State Governor concerning a land dispute involving three communities that are laying claim to our territorial land. We also wrote to the Governor on March 27, 2025, and submitted the necessary documents concerning the matter. Up till now, however, we have not received any response,” Okperigho said.
He identified the communities involved as Oboro in Burutu, Bomadi in Bomadi Local Government Area and Orhota in Ughelli South, saying Alagbabiri was also in Ughelli South.
According to him, “The River Niger serves as the boundary between Oboro and Alagbabiri. Despite this, the other communities have been crossing the river to lay claim to our land.”
Okperigho said the presence of Shell oil and gas facilities, including oil wells, gas wells and pipelines, had heightened interest in the disputed territory.
He alleged that the dispute had resulted in attacks and loss of lives, saying, “Our young men have been killed, our women have been killed, and our elderly people have also been killed. We do not want these killings to continue.”
On the August 3 incident, he said the two youths were taken across the river and detained before the intervention of the Commissioner of Police.
“But, thankfully, there was timely intervention by the Commissioner of Police, Delta State. The Honourable Commissioner of Police made a call to the communities involved and prevailed on them to ensure that our young men were taken to the police station. That intervention ultimately led to their rescue,” he said.
Okperigho urged the government to urgently undertake a proper boundary adjustment or clarification to establish the territorial limits of the communities.
“We are therefore calling on the government and relevant authorities to urgently intervene in this matter and carry out a proper boundary adjustment or clarification to establish the territorial boundaries and prevent further conflict,” he said.
“The killings have become too much for us. We cannot continue to lose our young men, women and elderly people over a boundary dispute.”
He appealed to the state government and relevant authorities to act before the situation deteriorated further.
“We are appealing to the State Government and all relevant authorities to come to our aid and urgently address this lingering issue before it leads to further loss of lives,” Okperigho said.
A former President-General of the community, Captain Philippe Emubosa, also linked the dispute to the history of oil exploration in the area, saying oil was discovered there in 1972.
“We are not troublemakers, and that is why we are bringing this matter in an amicable way so that government should know our pain,” Emubosa said.
“We are appealing to the authorities to investigate the historical records and determine the rightful boundaries of the communities and give us our boundaries.”
Another community representative, Evangelist Moses Enyu Sargent, appealed to Tinubu and Oborevwori to intervene and establish clear boundaries.
“We don’t want problem, we want peace, let everybody know his own boundary,” Sargent said.
He added: “We are very peaceful people, that’s why we have come here to appeal to the government before this thing gets out of hand.”