JUST IN: Rights Group Urge Delta State Government, DSS To Expose Arms Running Syndicates, Prosecute Sponsors, Says No Crown, Throne, Title Should Be Above The Law -

By Esther David

IJAW STAKEHOLDERS OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY

PRESS BRIEFING

Date: July 19, 2025
Title:
NO CROWN, NO UNIFORM, NO NAME ABOVE THE LAW
Expose the Arms Syndicate. Prosecute the Sponsors. Let Justice Speak.

The blood of this land cries out, not for pity but for justice. And justice, if it must live, must be blind to position, tribe and title. It must walk straight through the palaces, the police stations, the government houses and the hidden corridors where arms flow like oil.

Nigeria cannot continue to shield criminals because they wear robes, bear chieftaincy titles or sit in high places. We are watching a nation burn while those lighting the fire dine with impunity. The recent raid by the Department of State Services (DSS) at Ebuzo in Asaba has exposed a criminal network bigger than anyone imagined but just as the truth began to rise, silence crept in like a fog.

What happened in Asaba was not just a raid. It was a revelation.

During the operation, it was alleged that DSS stormed a location believed to be a hub for illegal arms smuggling. What they met was not just resistance, it was betrayal. A shootout erupted between DSS and elements of the Nigeria Police. A police officer died. Suspects were arrested. And according to multiple unofficial confirmations, names like Edema, Maki Polo and other persons linked to a prominent palace were mentioned in confessions.

Yet till now, the public hears nothing. No official press release. No transparent investigation. Just deafening silence.

We ask: why is the Delta State Police Command silent?
Why has the Commissioner of Police not addressed the state on the circumstances surrounding the death of his own officer?
Why are the names allegedly mentioned during interrogations being protected instead of prosecuted?

What we see is a shameful attempt to sweep truth under the carpet because the trail leads to people the system is afraid to confront. What a pity

The Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency will not sit by while arms sponsors are protected under the guise of culture, royalty or political influence. No one has the right to endanger an entire region for the sake of ego or power.

Let the public remember, arms trafficking is not just a crime against the state; it is a crime against every child kidnapped, every community attacked, every youth misled into violence and every soldier ambushed in the field.

This is not a Warri issue. This is not an Ijaw issue. This is a national emergency.

The palace must not become a warehouse for weapons.
The police must not become a shield for smugglers.
The press must not become a tool for distraction.
The people must not remain silent.

We demand a full public investigation into the DSS Asaba raid. We demand the immediate prosecution of all those named or connected to the illegal arms ring. We demand that the Federal Government declare openly that no person, no matter how titled, is above the law.

This is not the time for caution. It is the time for courage. Let the DSS be commended, not sabotaged. Let the truth be protected, not buried.

Justice cannot be selective.
Power cannot protect crime.
Peace cannot grow where gunrunners dine in secret with kings and contractors.

The arms syndicate must be unmasked. The guilty must face trial. And those who try to cover it up must answer to history.

We are Ijaw people. We are not afraid of truth. We are not afraid of power. We are afraid only of silence and we refuse to be silent anymore.

Signed,

Chief, Tiemopere Joshua
(President)

Chief Ebikeke T. Goodstime
(Secretary)

Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency

Cc:
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
The Director-General, Department of State Services
The National Security Adviser
The Inspector-General of Police
The Chairman, Police Service Commission
The Chief of Defence Staff
The Chairman, Nigerian Human Rights Commission
The UN Office for West Africa (UNOWAS)
The ECOWAS Commission
Civil Society Organizations
Amnesty International
Concerned Nigerians Everywhere