Fear has gripped parts of Oteri-Ughelli and Izigwe in Ughelli North and Ughelli South Local Government Areas of Delta State after suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked neighbourhoods and abducted a young man on Saturday night, May 30, 2026.
Sources disclosed that a group of about 10 suspected Fulani herdsmen were seen in the Izigwe area, an expanding community of Ovwor-Olomu that stretches from the riverbank toward the Pipeline axis of Oteri-Ughelli on Thursday evening, unnerving residents.
The same suspects allegedly returned on Saturday and ambushed a middle‑aged youth (name unconfirmed) on Isodje Street, Oteri-Ughelli, as he returned on his Ladies motorcycle.
“They jumped from an uncompleted building as soon as the boy came back with his ladies bike and started shooting sporadically. They forced the boy to follow them into the surrounding bush and all of us were so scared,” a neighbour who witnessed the abduction said.
Following the incident, residents of Isodje, Pipeline and Izigwe has reportedly abandoned their homes and businesses and are now living in fear. The Pipeline streets both along the old and new Oteri‑Ughelli roads have been targeted by kidnappers in the past. About six people were abducted in 2025 in the area and three reportedly killed, while early 2026 also saw three kidnapping incidents in the Izigwe, Uloho avenue and pipeline area that have so discouraged property developers.
Sources told this paper that suspected herders often exploit the area’s developing landscape and surrounding bushes to carry out kidnapping activities and evade detection. They said some of the assailants are believed to be sheltering in the bush across the Oteri‑Ughelli river.
Efforts to reach the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP. Bright Edafe, for confirmation were unsuccessful; messages sent to his line did not receive any response. Residents are calling on security agencies, including Operation Delta Sweep and police patrol teams, to increase patrols and restore confidence in the area.