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A major schism has ensued in Delta State with Community leaders denouncing SEPLAT’s involvement in what they describe as campaign of calumny, misinformation and deceit by the Sapele Okpe Community.

They accused the Sapele Okpe Community of fabricating falsehoods against the Alema of Warri, High Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, and the Special Adviser to the Delta State Governor on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, Chief Edwin Uzor.

In a statement, the leaders from Abigborodo, Obotie, and Ugbekoko communities condemned the alleged attempts by the Sapele Okpe Community to distort facts surrounding the ongoing land dispute, especially with regards to SEPLAT Energy’s operations in the region.

They accused SEPLAT of collaborating with the Sapele Okpe Community to obstruct an investigative visit to the area by raising false security concerns.

The statement signed by Hon. Misan Ukubeyinje, Esq., and Mr. Victor Atseponu of the Abigborodo Management Committee, while accusing SEPLAT and the Sapele Okpe Community of deliberately misleading the authorities in an attempt to prevent the fact-finding mission from taking place stated:

“A night before the visit to the disputed location, SEPLAT and Sapele Okpe concocted a false security alert, claiming a potential outbreak of violence to frustrate the visit. When that strategy failed, SEPLAT avoided the joint visit altogether and instead chose to align with Sapele Okpe and Ugbukurusu leaders, traveling together in a SEPLAT-owned sea truck to manipulate the investigation process.”

The Itsekiri leaders described as baseless the Sapele Okpe Community’s demand for the removal of Chief Edwin Uzor and his team, arguing that his committee’s investigation had followed due process and remained unbiased.

“All matters surrounding the Okpe Sobo Forest Reserve were settled and documented in the Delta State Government’s White Paper No. 1 of 2021. The Sapele Okpe Community has no legitimate claim to the disputed land, which falls within the territories of Abigborodo, Obotie, and Ugbekoko,” they asserted.

In a related development, the leadership of Ugbekoko Community also dismissed claims by the Chairman of Sapele Okpe Community, Chief Onoriode Temiagin, that their land belonged to Sapele Okpe simply because of the presence of a market built in the area.

“This is yet another desperate attempt to lay false claims to land. Their illegal incursion into our territory, aided by SEPLAT, will be resisted within the framework of the law,” a statement signed by Ugbekoko community leaders, including Chairman Henry Mabamue, Secretary Sunday Omalor, and Public Relations Officer Rieco Tsoluwa, declared.

The Ugbekoko leaders further asserted that all major SEPLAT operations in the region, including its flow station, jetty, wellheads, pipelines, and the disputed drilling site, were located within Ugbekoko territory, contrary to the claims of the Sapele Okpe Community.

They accused Sapele Okpe leaders of deliberately avoiding the official investigative visit and instead embarking on a separate voyage to manipulate findings. “Their request for the removal of Chief Uzor is simply an attempt to intimidate the investigative panel and influence the Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, in their favor,” the statement noted.

The communities called on the governor to disregard the Sapele Okpe Community’s allegations and allow the investigative panel to carry out its work without interference. They reaffirmed their readiness to participate in any further visits to the disputed area, confident that the evidence would remain unchanged.

The Ugbekoko leaders also refuted Sapele Okpe’s claims regarding the Okpe Sobo Forest Reserve, stating that the 1,200 hectares allocated to them had been sold to CEDDI Corporation Limited. They highlighted findings from the Delta State Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which exposed efforts by CEDDI Corporation to illegally expand its claims in collusion with Sapele Okpe leaders.

Furthermore, they emphasized that Ugbekoko Community had existed long before the establishment of the Okpe Sobo Forest Reserve, tracing their ancestral ownership back to 1913 when their forefathers leased the land from Abigborodo leaders. They credited past Itsekiri leaders, including Chief Okonedo, the former Alema of Warri, for challenging British colonial authorities to secure the rightful ownership of their land.

The leaders vowed to resist any illegal attempts to encroach on their lands and insisted that the state government uphold the findings of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which had already recognized the legitimacy of their claims.

“We remain the bonafide owners of the land hosting SEPLAT West Limited’s operations. SEPLAT must recognize us as the rightful host community rather than attempting to sideline our legitimate claims,” they said..