Just IN: Delta Coalition Group Alleges Olu Of Itsekiri Recruiting Yoruba Fighters To Destabilize Warri, Calls For Urgent Investigations -

By Uche Alvin

OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER (NSA), THE DSS, AND ALL NIGERIANS OF GOOD CONSCIENCE

Subject: Urgent Call for Investigation into Alleged Recruitment of Yoruba Fighters by the Olu of Itsekiri to Destabilize Warri
Date: [23/82025]

I. INTRODUCTION: WHEN HISTORY WARNS AND GOVERNMENT MUST LISTEN

Breaking reports reaching us indicate that the Olu of Itsekiri, in concert with certain unscrupulous Yoruba political actors, is allegedly recruiting fighters from the West to unleash coordinated violence in Warri. Some of these mercenaries are said to be preparing to infiltrate Warri by river routes under the guise of offshore workers, while others plan to enter by land disguised as Hausa farmers conveyed in fruit trucks.

If true, this conspiracy represents nothing short of treason against the Nigerian state and a direct threat to national security. The history of Warri warns us: whenever external mercenaries and political desperation mix, blood has always been the outcome.

II. CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL MANDATES BETRAYED

Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) states clearly:

“The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

Section 217(2)(c) authorizes the Armed Forces to “suppress insurrection and act in aid of civil authorities to restore order.”

Section 287(1) commands that:

“The decisions of the Supreme Court shall be enforced in any part of the Federation by all authorities and persons.”

The Supreme Court in Timinimi v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2023) ordered a proper delineation of Warri Federal Constituency. INEC’s delay in announcing the final result has become the very fertile soil of ethnic tension which opportunists, including this alleged conspiracy, are exploiting.

If government fails to act, it would amount to complicity in undermining both constitutional supremacy and national peace.

III. FACTS THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED

Historical Precedent of Mercenary Violence

In the 1997 Warri crisis, external fighters were ferried in, causing mass killings and destruction.

In 1999 and 2003, electoral manipulations and mercenary violence plunged Warri into chaos.

The Gunrunner “Mica Polo” Case

Intelligence and court records link the notorious arms trafficker, Mica Polo, to networks allegedly tied to Itsekiri elites.

To ignore this link is to repeat the silence that once allowed Warri to drown in blood.

The Desperation of the Olu of Itsekiri and Allies

As INEC prepares to announce the long-delayed delineation result, which will expose Itsekiri’s demographic minority, the alleged resort to recruiting Yoruba mercenaries is a desperate attempt to substitute truth with bloodshed.

The Mode of Entry

By river, disguised as offshore/marine workers.

By land, disguised as northern farmers, conveyed in fruit trucks.

These are not ordinary allegations. They are credible security intelligence signals that require urgent federal investigation.

IV. HISTORICAL DECLARATIONS AND WARNINGS

Duarte Pacheco Pereira’s 1485 testimony recorded that the Ijaw were the aboriginal people of Escravos and Warri rivers, long before the arrival of Iginuwa and his descendants.

The Supreme Court in Shell v. Tiebo VII (SC.33/1993) recognized Ijaw ownership rights in Warri territories.

The Privy Council in Ometan v. Dore Numa (1926) established that Itsekiri “overlordship” claims were fraudulent.

All this history proves one thing: violence has always been the Itsekiri’s last weapon when truth exposes their lies.

V. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST ACT NOW

Mr. President, by your oath of office under the Seventh Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, you swore to:

“Preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

This oath is broken if external mercenaries are allowed to infiltrate Warri under political cover.

We demand:

Immediate DSS and Military Investigation into the alleged recruitment of Yoruba fighters by the Olu of Itsekiri and his collaborators.
Surveillance of riverine and land routes into Warri to detect disguised infiltrators.
Investigation of the Mica Polo gunrunning network, and its alleged ties to Itsekiri elites.
Protective deployment of security forces in Warri Federal Constituency to avert violence.
Urgent directive to INEC to publish the final delineation result as ordered by the Supreme Court, since this delay is the very spark fueling desperation.

VI. FINAL WARNING

Let it be clearly stated:

If blood spills in Warri again, history will hold not only the Olu of Itsekiri and his sponsors responsible, but also the Federal Government for failing to act when warned.

No Final Delineation Result, No Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). Any attempt to conduct CVR without justice is to baptize democracy in fraud.

As Martin Luther King Jr. warned:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

And as Section 14(2)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution declares:

“The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

The time to act is now. Tomorrow may be too late.

Signed:

Chief, (Dr) Miebi Thomp
(Chairman)

Hon, Ovie M. Godgift
(Secretary)

Concerned Ijaw/Urhobo Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency

CC:

The National Assembly (Senate & House of Representatives)