The Chairman of the Abigborodo Management Committee, Hon. Misan R. Ukubeyinje, Esq., has accused the Orodje of Okpe, His Royal Majesty, Major General Felix Mujakperuo (rtd), of allegedly defying the Delta State Government’s Judicial White Paper on the Okpe–Urhobo Forestry Reserve by using military intimidation to suppress Abigborodo and neighbouring host communities over SEPLAT Energy Plc’s operations.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Ukubeyinje said the actions allegedly taken by the Okpe traditional ruler, whom he accused of exploiting his military background, directly contradict the findings and recommendations of the government’s Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Okpe Forestry Reserve, gazetted in 2021, which, he said, affirmed the ownership and rights of Abigborodo, Ugbekoko and Uton-Iyatsere communities over the disputed lands.
He alleged that the Nigerian military had been repeatedly deployed to intimidate community leaders and members of the Abigborodo Management Committee, forcing them out of their ancestral territory, while SEPLAT continued pipeline installation and other oil and gas activities on Abigborodo land without engagement, consent or recognition of the host communities.
Ukubeyinje maintained that the continued militarisation of the area and denial of host community status amount to a deliberate subversion of the rule of law, noting that the Judicial White Paper clearly called for the recognition and compensation of communities de-reserved from the forest reserve by oil companies operating on their land.
According to him, SEPLAT has persisted with its operations by aligning with the Okpe traditional institution and the Delta State Government, despite findings of the state’s Peace Building and Conflict Resolution process which, he said, clearly identified Abigborodo and Ugbekoko as host communities to the company’s Sapele West OML 41 operations.
He warned that the resumption of pipeline works under heavy security presence, without resolving the fundamental issues of land ownership, host community rights and compensation, poses a serious threat to peace and stability in Abigborodo, Ugbekoko and Uton-Iyatsere.
Ukubeyinje called on the Federal Government, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and security authorities to urgently intervene, insisting that continued disregard for judicial findings and the alleged use of military force to silence lawful demands could precipitate a dangerous breakdown of law and order in the area.