Itsekiri Young Elites IYE to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Declares a state of emergency in Delta state since Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State Can’t handle the Peace and stability of the State
WARRI, NIGERIA — The fragile peace in the Niger Delta faces a critical litmus test as the Itsekiri Young Elites have issued an urgent, high-stakes appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The prominent youth group is demanding the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in Delta State, citing what they describe as a total collapse of authority and a “slap in the face” of the state government.
The escalating crisis stems from an alleged breach of a state-mandated peace agreement, rapidly reigniting long-standing ethnic tensions in the oil-rich Warri region.
The latest wave of friction follows a recent emergency security and stakeholder meeting convened in Asaba by the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori on monday 8th june 2026. In the wake of rising tensions surrounding the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) highly contested ward and polling unit delineation exercise in the Warri Federal Constituency, the Governor issued a strict, blanket directive halting all public protests across the state.
While Itsekiri leadership and youth groups strictly complied with the peace mandate to prevent civil unrest, the accord shattered in the early hours of Tuesday morning by the ijaws with a new protest in Olero Flow Stations in an Itsekiri community. Defying the government’s orders, protesters descended upon the Olero Creek flow station, a vital oil infrastructure asset located within an Itsekiri community.
”It is sad to see that after the Governor of Delta State gave an order for all protests to stop, the Itsekiri people and her leaders obeyed, yet the Ijaws in the early hours of Tuesday disobeyed and went to an Itsekiri community, Olero Creek, and its flow station to protest,” the president of the Itsekiri Young Elites stated Comr. Lily-white O. Esigbone stated. “This is a direct slap to the face of the Governor of Delta State.”
The youth group expressed deep frustration over what they perceive as a glaring double standard in how the law is enforced within the state. They accuse Governor Oborevwori of maintaining a worrying silence in the face of open defiance, suggesting that law enforcement would have reacted far more aggressively had the roles been reversed.
”The Ijaw leadership is not bigger than the state,” the group asserted in their public address. “If this disobedience had come from the Itsekiris, you would have seen the Governor give orders for everyone involved to be arrested immediately. Why is Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori silent in the face of this blatant disobedience? President Tinubu must call the Governor to order or declare a state of emergency immediately.”
Taking their grievances directly to the federal government, the Itsekiri Young Elites are calling on the Presidency to review its strategic security architecture in the region. Specifically, they are demanding an immediate halt to the multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services, a private firm headed by former Niger Delta militant commander Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo.
”Indeed, a militant is a militant and cannot change,” the group remarked bitterly. “Our demand to the federal government is simple and clear: the President should halt the Tantita Security Services contract, and declare Tompolo wanted for causing crisis and instigating war in Delta State and Warri.”
The federal government now faces a complex dilemma. While private security firms like Tantita have been praised by federal oil authorities for significantly curbing illegal oil bunkering and boosting Nigeria’s crude production past 1.2 million barrels per day, local rivals argue that empowering specific regional militant figures creates a dangerous imbalance of power.
With critical economic assets like the Olero Creek flow station hanging in the balance, pressure is mounting on both Governor Oborevwori and President Tinubu to act swiftly. For the residents of Warri, the looming question is whether the state can enforce its laws equally to maintain order, or if federal military intervention will become necessary to prevent the region from sliding back into the devastating ethnic conflicts of its past.
Neither the Delta State Government nor representatives for Tantita Security Services have issued an official response to the group’s demands at the time of this publication.
Signed:
Comr. Lily-white O Esigbone
President
Itsekiri Young Elites
Comr. Eboma Tuoyo
Secretary
Itsekiri Young Elites
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