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[ADVERTORIAL] Okomu Crisis: Our Displeasure, Rejection Of Okaba-led Reconciliation Meeting

Published

2 years ago

August 11, 2024

It is no longer news that our dear community – Okomu has been embroiled in crisis recently which has led to burning of several houses and gun attacks on some military personnel, Edo State Security Network personnel and the most sacrilegious shooting of our revered king.

Consequently, early this month (August 2024) president of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) summoned us to a meeting with a view to resolving the crisis between we (Okomu community) and Lawrence Yanbor, the man who has been terrorising the whole Okomu and its environs. In his invitation, the INC President, in person of Prof. Benjamin Okaba informed us that three Ijaw top kings (one from Delta and two from Bayelsa) would be in attendance to carry out mediation roles while the Commissioner for Ijaw National Affairs, Bayelsa State, Chief Godspower Oporomo would host the supposed reconciliation meeting.

The meeting was slated for August 7th, so we took off as early as possible from here in Edo State en route to Bayelsa State. Our King, who has been in the hospital for treatment for all these months after the shooting by Lawrence Yanbor, also traveled to Bayelsa State (Yenagoa) even with his health condition. We are not resistant to reconciliation and putting an end to the lingering crisis in our community. This is why we were all happy to honour the invitation by the INC President; this is why our King, despite his present health challenge risked his health to travel to Yenagoa to attend the supposed reconciliation meeting.

On getting to Yenagoa, we moved to the hotel we were informed as the venue of the meeting, but we were later told that the venue has been changed to Ijaw House which doubles as the national secretariat of the INC. When we got to the secretariat, in no distance time the meeting kick started, but to our uttermost surprise, the kings mentioned in the invitation as mediators in the reconciliation meeting were not present. The Commissioner who was mentioned as the host of the meeting in the invitation sent to us was not in attendance. The people we saw on the high table to mediate in a supposed reconciliation meeting where the other party in the crisis was not in attendance were Prof. Okaba, the National Financial Secretary of the INC and a few other persons. Where we initially suspected a foul play in the said reconciliation meeting was in the fact that Lawrence Yanbor, who has been perpetrating evil in Okomu, attacking our people and burning our houses was not in attendance in a supposed reconciliation meeting. He only sent representatives whose inconsequential names we will not mention because they played their master-payer role. The question every right thinking person will ask is, how can a reconciliation meeting be held when one party is absent.

Back to the meeting. The INC President gave our king a two minutes to narrate what had happened, and truly our king narrated how Lawrence Yanbor surrounded his palace with his gang and shot him to the point of death. The king also added that Lawrence Yanbor has been truly terrorising the community and its environs which has led to many indegenes fleeing the community. Prof. Okaba also gave room for representatives of Lawrence Yanbor to speak which they did. After that, the INC President in person of Prof. Okaba commenced his speech with a very undemocratic and dictatorial tone. We will quote him in a few lines: “This is Ijaw House, the headquarters of all the Ijaw homes and abroad; whatsoever I say here binds on all of you because I am the president of all Ijaw. I will be forced to lock this hall and the entire building until you agree to whatever decision is taken here.” He thereafter asked for those whose houses were burnt and we identified ourselves. Chief Freeman Cousin was about speaking as one of the victims but the INC President interjected that he does not want to hear how houses were burnt or how attacks were carried out, that what he wanted was the way forward. We then said, if you called us not to hear from us but to impose your will on us there wouldn’t have been a need to invite us here. Chief Nanaghan Rickson also said in the meeting that if Lawrence Yanbor was not in attendance we would not have anything to say because he was the one that attacked and razed our houses, but Okaba shut, humiliated him and asked him to sit down. Prof. Okaba thereafter said we all know why Lawrence Yanbor was not in the meeting. In a nutshell, our king, and the entire natives of Okomu were humiliated at the meeting.

We, therefore, want to draw the attention of the Bayelsa State governor, His Excellency, Douye Diri, our national leader, Pa Edwin Clark and the entire Ijaw nation to this development and the role the Okaba-led INC is playing currently in the Okomu crisis. We wish to reiterate that we are not opposed to reconciliation neither are we against the INC, but it must be stated that Okaba’s role in the Okomu crisis calls for concerns.

Our Position

We wish to state unequivocally as follows:

1. That we acknowledge and respect the INC as the umbrella body of all Ijaw sons and daughters. This is why we honoured the invitation. However, we want to state that the Prof. Okaba-led INC has taken side in the crisis. We, therefore, reject the outcome of the said meeting.

2. That the National Representative Council (IRC) which is constitutionally empowered to checkmate the INC should call Prof. Okaba to order.

3. We also reject the fact-finding committee to Okomu set up by Prof. Okaba during the meeting. Our reason for rejecting the committee is based on the fact that the secretary of the committee as set up by Prof. Okaba is the lawyer to Lawrence Yanbor, so there is no way the committee will come up with the true position of damage done to our community.

4. In the course of the meeting, the Lawrence Yanbor who was said to be in the bush was communicating on the phone with the INC President and his representatives.

5. That late Sani Abacha, former Head of State of Nigeria who was a dictator was more democratic than Prof. Okaba.

6. That Okaba gave opportunities to Lawrence Yanbor’s representatives to insult and humiliate our king while we were not given such opportunities to speak. Those of us who were given opportunities to speak were given a few minutes when compared to Lawrence Yanbor’s representatives.

7. The INC President giving room to some individuals to insult our king is unacceptable, sacrilegious in Ijaw culture and tradition.

8. That Prof. Okaba’s claim in the initial stage of the meeting that an outcome of a meeting held in Arogbo, Ondo State in 2022 in which a decision was taken that Lawrence Yanbor from that date of the meeting should stop attacking any Ijaw community including Okomu, and that if he carries out any attack, Ijaw kings and Edo State Government would declare him wanted, was what he (Okaba) would use as a guide was not touched. He only waved the paper of the meeting at the commencement of the meeting and thereafter did not make any reference to it.

Signed:

Chief Edwin Denmene,
The Ibe-uyadonwei of Okomu kingdom

Chief Rickson Nanaghan,
The Otugbu

Hon. Omokachi Perete,
SSA to Edo State governor on Waterways and Security Surveillance

Chief (Dr.) Atele Biriodoubrah,
The Ibe Bolowoniwei of Okomu kingdom

News

Return Of Fuel Subsidy: Atiku Plotting To Plunder Nigeria’s External Reserves, APC Alleges

Published

40 seconds ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

All Progressives Congress (APC) has again kicked against the declaration by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to return the fuel subsidy regime if elected into office.

National Publicity Secretary of the governing party, Felix Morka, in a statement on Thursday alleged that the proposal to return fuel subsidy as being canvassed by the former vice-president was not informed by any altruistic motive but to plunder the country’s foreign reserves, which he noted, has risen to over $54 billion.

“Atiku’s sudden u-turn from his 2023 policy position in favour of fuel subsidy removal to his new promise to restore the fuel subsidy regime, if elected, must be understood as his latest device to lay his hands on, and squander, the country’s 18-year foreign reserve high of over $54 billion built up from $3 billion by President Bola Tinubu in less than 4 years through bold and prudent economic reforms.

“The National Treasury that President Tinubu has built strong is what Atiku desires to scatter and plunder under the cover of his fake and unrealistic promise to restore the ruinous fuel subsidy regime.

“In his book, My Watch, President Olusegun Obasanjo characterized Atiku as possessing a propensity for corruption, a tendency toward disloyalty, poor judgment, and a readiness to sacrifice the national interest for selfish gains. In August 2026, Obasanjo described his decision to select Atiku as his running mate in 1999 as the biggest mistake of his presidency.”

He stated, “The man I picked as my running mate, my number two, if I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.” That is an open-and-shut reference by the former President, Atiku’s principal, to his unfitness for public office.

“Atiku was an accidental Vice President, and categorically unfit for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The APC further alleged that “as a former public official, Atiku’s record is an executive summary of some of Nigeria’s vilest episodes of corruption and cronyism that pulverized our economy and decimated public trust.”

The party urged the electorate to reject the ADC presidential candidate in the forthcoming general elections.

“Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election presents the electorate the opportunity to deal a final blow to Atiku’s desperate quest for presidential power, and save the country from his ravenous plunder.

“From the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project and the Siemens bribery scandal to the William Jefferson case, the PTDF funds controversy, and the US Senate investigation into suspicious financial transactions, Atiku’s name is engraved ingloriously on files and dossiers of onshore and offshore financial scandals and atrocities.

“These are not mere allegations. They are matters that are well documented in official records, tribunal proceedings, government investigations, national and foreign legislative reports, and international financial inquiries. Together, they raise legitimate questions about the fitness for probity and accountability of this serial presidential contender.”

News

Man Charged After Fatal Southall Collision

Published

56 minutes ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

A 20-year-old man has been charged after a fatal road collision in Southall, west London, which claimed the life of a 17-year-old passenger.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at about 1:04 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, following reports of a collision involving a Ford Mustang on South Road, Southall.

Officers attended the scene alongside paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and firefighters from the London Fire Brigade.

Despite efforts by emergency responders, 17-year-old passenger Ranbir Singh died at the scene.

His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

News

Iranian Airlines Hit By US Sanctions As Oil Prices Rise On Saudi Attacks

Published

1 hour ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

Iranian airlines have been barred from operating in several neighbouring countries following the implementation of new US sanctions, as the wider Middle East conflict continued to put pressure on regional energy supplies and push oil prices higher.

The United Arab Emirates suspended all flights operated by Iranian airlines until further notice after a US deadline for companies around the world to stop doing business with Iran’s aviation sector expired.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency also reported that flights to Oman, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Baghdad had been halted. Iranian authorities were reportedly working to redirect some services to Najaf in Iraq.

The measures are part of a broader US effort to isolate Iran economically by imposing sanctions on companies in third countries that continue doing business with Iranian firms.

Washington had set September 23 as the deadline for companies worldwide to comply with restrictions targeting Iranian airlines, with the stated aim of grounding Iran’s entire civilian aircraft fleet.

The restrictions have already affected Iran’s international air links, with Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport showing scheduled services to countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, China, Iraq, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkey, but no flights to or from several Gulf states.

Iran has warned that neighbouring countries complying with the US restrictions could face retaliation.

A senior Iranian official warned on Wednesday that airports in countries enforcing the ban could be made “unusable”.

The latest sanctions came as tensions across the region continued to affect global energy markets.

Oil prices rose sharply on Thursday after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi fighters launched missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, raising fresh concerns about disruptions to crude supplies.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards areas including Taif and the Yanbu region on the Red Sea.

Yanbu is particularly important to Saudi Arabia’s oil-export strategy because the port provides an alternative route for crude when shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted.

Brent crude futures settled at $106.60 a barrel, gaining $3.52, or 3.4 per cent, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $2.45, or 2.7 per cent, to settle at $94.61.

Both benchmarks had risen by about 5 per cent at their session highs. Brent recorded its highest closing price since September 15, while the gain represented WTI’s first rise after six consecutive sessions of losses.

The price increase came despite signs that diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran could eventually ease pressure on oil supplies.

Reuters reported that US and Iranian negotiators in New York were exploring a possible phased agreement under which Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while the United States eased its economic blockade of Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial global oil route and its disruption has been a major factor behind the volatility in energy markets during the conflict.

The prospect of negotiations helped crude prices retreat from their intraday highs.

The wider conflict has also affected Saudi Arabia’s ability to export crude. Saudi Arabia has been using its East-West pipeline to divert oil towards the Red Sea after disruptions to Gulf shipping routes. The country has been working to restore export capacity through Yanbu.

Meanwhile, the latest US sanctions threaten to deepen Iran’s economic isolation.

President Donald Trump previously described the expanded sanctions strategy as “economic D-Day”, referring to Washington’s attempt to increase pressure on Tehran by targeting companies outside Iran that continue to do business with sanctioned Iranian entities.

Iranian authorities have warned that the sanctions and wider blockade could worsen the country’s economic difficulties.

The latest developments have therefore created two competing pressures for oil markets: continued military escalation around major energy infrastructure and shipping routes could push prices higher, while progress in US-Iran negotiations and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could ease supply concerns.

(Reuters)