Tompolo, Tantita Under Fresh Fire as Warri Kingdom Petition on Alleged Kidnapping, Torture Hits Tinubu’s Desk

by Passman Akpos

WARRI, DELTA STATE — A fresh petition alleging serious human-rights violations and security abuses across parts of the Niger Delta has been directed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, placing the Warri Kingdom and several Itsekiri communities at the centre of a renewed call for federal intervention.

The petition, dated August 5, 2026, was signed by Mrs. Tsaye Edeyibo Mene, Convener of the Warri Reclamation Thrust and a former National Executive of the Itsekiri National Youth Council

The document, according to its author, was addressed to the Presidency and also circulated to international institutions and human-rights organisations.

At the centre of the petition are allegations involving Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and other individuals named in the document.

The allegations include claims of kidnapping, unlawful detention, torture, enforced disappearance, intimidation of civilians and community leaders, alleged operation of an unauthorised detention facility, forced displacement and interference with indigenous communities.

No finding of guilt has been established against the named individuals or organisations by the allegations contained in the petition. The petitioner herself calls for the claims to be independently investigated and verified.

PETITION SEEKS PRESIDENTIAL INTERVENTION

Mene reportedly urged the Federal Government to initiate an impartial, transparent and credible investigation into the allegations.

According to the petition, supporting materials—including witness statements, photographs, videos and documentary evidence—were submitted for examination by competent authorities.

The petitioner also stated that victims and witnesses could be made available to authorised investigators and that additional evidence could be provided where necessary.

The demands come amid an increasingly contentious debate over pipeline surveillance, community rights, traditional institutions, land ownership and the presence of security contractors in parts of the Niger Delta.

The Warri Reclamation Thrust has previously opposed the continued presence of Tantita Security Services in what it describes as Itsekiri ancestral territory and has called for greater participation of Itsekiri stakeholders in pipeline surveillance arrangements.

WARri KINGDOM BECOMES THE FLASHPOINT

The latest petition gives particular attention to communities in Warri North, Warri South-West and Warri South Local Government Areas, alleging that some indigenous communities have experienced intimidation, displacement, interference with traditional structures and disputes over community names and territorial identity.

The Warri Reclamation Thrust has previously made similar complaints regarding electoral ward delineation, alleging that several Itsekiri communities were renamed or inaccurately represented during the controversial exercise.

Those allegations have previously been reported by Nigerian media, including accounts of protests and petitions by the group to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The group has argued that questions surrounding community identity and territorial boundaries cannot be separated from political representation, land ownership and access to economic opportunities.

ALLEGATIONS OF DETENTION AND TORTUR

Among the most serious claims contained in the latest petition are allegations concerning individuals identified as Moses Obukokwo, Samson Edema, Afejuku Jolomi and Omamuminogho Molagbemi, whom the petitioner says are from Tisun and Usor communities in Warri North.

The petition alleges that the men were abducted and taken to Oporoza, where they were allegedly detained and subjected to harsh treatment and forced labour before their eventual release.

These claims remain allegations requiring independent verification.

The petition also references Balamene Karowei, whom it alleges disappeared after an abduction from his residence in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, in July 2024, as well as the alleged abduction and detention of another individual identified as Charles Korubo.

Mene argues that cases of this nature should not be treated merely as isolated community disputes but should be subjected to formal criminal and human-rights investigations.

IJAGHALA CASE ADDS ANOTHER LAYER OF CONTROVERSY

The petition further raises the reported case involving three youth leaders associated with Ijaghala Community in Ugborodo.

The individuals identified are Mayomi Ololo Abeson, Adeyemi Tobi and Glory Macaulay.

According to the allegations cited in the petition, the three were abducted and detained on July 25, 2026.

However, an important development emerged shortly afterwards.

A statement attributed to the Ijaghala Community rejected allegations concerning the alleged abduction of the youth leaders as false, misleading and capable of creating division within the community. The community said the publication making the allegations did not represent its position.

That conflicting account makes an independent investigation particularly important.

Rather than allowing competing narratives to fuel further suspicion, the authorities would need to establish what actually happened, where the individuals were at the material time, who had custody of them, whether any offence occurred and whether any person or organisation should be held accountable.

FROM COMMUNITY DISPUTE TO NATIONAL SECURITY QUESTION

The latest petition comes against the backdrop of a long-running dispute over the role of Tantita in pipeline surveillance and the relationship between security contractors and host communities.

In June 2026, the Warri Reclamation Thrust publicly demanded the withdrawal of Tantita Security Services from Itsekiri territory and warned that unresolved grievances could threaten communal peace.

The group has also previously demanded decentralisation of pipeline surveillance contracts and greater participation by Itsekiri stakeholders.

The controversy has therefore evolved beyond the question of who provides pipeline security.

It now touches on community security, ancestral land, political representation, economic participation, traditional institutions and the relationship between state-backed security arrangements and indigenous communities.

WHAT THE PETITION WANTS INVESTIGATED

The document reportedly asks the Federal Government to investigate allegations of

– enforced disappearances;

– kidnapping and unlawful detention;

– torture and cruel treatment;

– alleged unauthorised detention facilities;

– intimidation and threats against civilians and community leaders;

– alleged forced displacement of indigenous communities;

– alleged interference with community identity and traditional institutions; and

– other alleged violations of Nigerian law and applicable human-rights standards.

It also calls for protection for victims, witnesses, whistleblowers and community leaders who may cooperate with investigators.

WHY THE PRESIDENCY CANNOT IGNORE THE CONTROVERSY

The Niger Delta remains strategically important to Nigeria’s oil industry, while Warri and its surrounding communities occupy a particularly sensitive position in the region’s ethnic, political and economic landscape.

Any allegation that armed or security-linked actors are unlawfully detaining civilians, disappearing residents or interfering with indigenous communities—if established—would raise serious questions about the rule of law and the oversight of security operations.

Conversely, allegations that are false or politically motivated could themselves deepen communal tensions and damage the reputations of individuals and organisations.

That is precisely why the allegations require evidence-based investigation rather than political mobilisation or social-media trials.@l

THE BIG QUESTION FOR ABUJA

For President Tinubu’s administration, the central challenge is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid:

How can the Federal Government protect critical oil infrastructure while simultaneously guaranteeing the security, dignity, land rights and constitutional protections of the communities in which those assets operate?

The Warri Reclamation Thrust believes the answer lies in an independent investigation.

The Federal Government now faces a choice: allow competing allegations to continue circulating until they become another source of communal tension, or deploy credible investigative institutions to establish the facts.

For Warri Kingdom and the wider Niger Delta, the outcome could have consequences far beyond the individuals named in the petition.

If the allegations are substantiated, those responsible should face the law and victims should receive appropriate protection and redress.

If the allegations cannot be substantiated, that conclusion should equally be made public so that misinformation does not become another trigger for conflict.

Either way, the demand coming from Warri is clear: investigate the allegations, establish the facts and let the law decide.