Warri Must Not Burn Again: A Passionate Call for Peace, Unity and Dialogue Among Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo Communities

By Tarakirivoice Editorial Board

There are moments in the life of a people when wisdom must speak louder than anger, when conscience must rise above pride, and when peace must triumph over provocation.

Today is one of those moments in Warri.

The disturbing rhetoric, threats, accusations, counter-accusations, and growing tensions emerging from different quarters of Warri Federal Constituency should alarm every son and daughter of the Niger Delta. The drums of hostility are beginning to beat once again, and history warns us that whenever those drums are allowed to grow louder than reason, ordinary people become the victims while politicians and powerful interests move on.

Warri stands today at a dangerous crossroads.

The Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo peoples have lived together for generations. We have traded together, worshipped together, married one another, attended the same schools, buried our dead side by side, and celebrated our victories as neighbors. Yet whenever crisis erupts, it is these same communities that suffer the deepest wounds.

We must ask ourselves a painful question:

Have we forgotten what the last crisis cost us?

Have we forgotten the blood that stained our land?

Have we forgotten the homes that were destroyed, the businesses that collapsed, the investments that fled, and the innocent lives that were cut short?

Have we forgotten the children who became refugees in their own homeland?

Have we forgotten the mothers who cried themselves to sleep because their sons never returned?

Have we forgotten the fathers who lost everything they labored for?

Warri paid a terrible price for conflict.

The economic scars remain visible even today.

Many businesses never recovered.

Many families never healed.

Many dreams were buried alongside those who lost their lives.

Must we repeat those mistakes?

Must another generation inherit the pain of a crisis they did not create?

The answer must be a resounding NO.

This is why Tarakirivoice calls on all leaders, youths, traditional rulers, community stakeholders, and political actors to reject every attempt to weaponize ethnic differences for personal or political gain.

No contract is worth the blood of a single child.

No political advantage is worth the destruction of a community.

No leadership ambition is worth turning neighbors into enemies.

Warri belongs to all who call it home.

The future of Warri cannot be built on fear, intimidation, threats, or violence.

It must be built on dialogue, fairness, justice, and mutual respect.

We particularly call on the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to rise above politics and immediately intensify peace-building efforts across the affected communities.

The people do not want political calculations.

The people want peace.

The people want security.

The people want leadership.

This is the moment for government to listen to the voices of ordinary citizens rather than the voices of division.

Silence in moments of tension can be dangerous.

Leadership requires engagement.

Leadership requires courage.

Leadership requires action.

The state government, federal authorities, security agencies, traditional institutions, and community leaders must come together urgently to prevent misunderstandings from becoming tragedies.

At the same time, we appeal to all influential Niger Delta leaders, including Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) and Jude Gbaboyor, to embrace dialogue and reconciliation wherever disagreements exist.

The Niger Delta has suffered too much from internal divisions.

Our leaders must show the younger generation that disagreements can be resolved through conversation rather than confrontation.

Brothers must not become enemies.

Differences must not become wars.

History will remember peacemakers far more kindly than those who fuel division.

This is also a time for restraint on social media.

Words matter.

Statements matter.

Threats matter.

A single reckless statement can ignite a fire that consumes entire communities.

Everyone must exercise caution and responsibility.

No individual should issue threats.

No group should promote violence.

No youth should allow himself to become a weapon in another person’s struggle.

The young men of Warri must remember a painful truth:

Those who encourage conflict rarely send their own children to the battlefield.

It is always the children of ordinary families who pay the highest price.

Regarding pipeline surveillance and related security arrangements in the Niger Delta, government must pursue solutions that promote inclusion, stability, and the collective interest of host communities.

The objective should be peace, economic development, protection of national assets, and opportunities that benefit the broader population rather than deepen divisions.

Whatever decision is ultimately taken must be guided by fairness, consultation, transparency, and the welfare of the people.

The people of Warri deserve development, not destruction.

They deserve jobs, not funerals.

They deserve investments, not insecurity.

They deserve hope, not fear.

Today, Tarakirivoice sends a message to every Ijaw, every Itsekiri, and every Urhobo son and daughter:

You are not enemies.

You share the same rivers.

You share the same markets.

You share the same future.

The blood flowing through your veins is more valuable than any political dispute.

Do not allow those seeking advantage to turn your communities into battlefields.

Warri must not burn again.

Not now.

Not ever.

Let wisdom prevail over anger.

Let dialogue prevail over threats.

Let unity prevail over division.

And let future generations remember that when Warri stood on the edge of crisis, its people chose peace.

Because peace is not weakness.

Peace is strength.

Peace is courage.

Peace is victory.

And peace remains the only path that can secure the future of Warri and the Niger Delta.

Tarakirivoice Editorial Team