“WHO REALLY CONTROLS THE IJAW?” Tompolo–Young Shall Grow Clash Raises Fresh Questions Over Abuja Kingship

by Passman Akpos

ABUJA — The Arogbo Ijaw Women Association, Abuja Chapter, has paid a solidarity visit to the Amananawei of the FCT, HRH Dr. Selky Kile Torughedi Eyewei V, popularly known as “General Young Shall Grow,” in a development that has renewed attention on the emerging traditional leadership dispute within the Ijaw community in Abuja and Northern Nigeria.

The visit, which brought together women leaders, youths and elders of Arogbo Ijaw extraction, was described by the association as a demonstration of loyalty, cultural pride and support for the traditional institution headed by the monarch.

The development comes amid a growing controversy involving claims surrounding the traditional leadership of Ijaws in Abuja and Northern Nigeria, with a group identifying itself as the South-Wing Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (South-Wing MEND) accusing Rowland Ekpemupolo, identified by the group as a younger brother of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, of attempting to establish a rival traditional authority.

The group has insisted that Dr. Torughedi remains the recognised traditional leader of the Ijaw people in the FCT and Northern Nigeria.

The competing claims have increasingly transformed what might ordinarily have been a traditional leadership disagreement into a wider debate over influence, legitimacy, loyalty and the future direction of Ijaw leadership outside the Niger Delta.

Arogbo Women Declare Support for Torughedi

Speaking during the solidarity visit, President of the Arogbo Ijaw Women Association, Abuja, Magistrate Mrs. Elizabeth Wonni, said the women came to identify with the monarch and reaffirm their commitment to peace, unity, cultural preservation and development.

“We are here to pay our respects to our father, HRH Dr. Selky Kile Torughedi, and to assure him of our unflinching support,” she said.

She called on Ijaw people living in the FCT and other parts of Northern Nigeria to remain united, stressing that geographical separation should not weaken their cultural identity or collective voice.

According to her, unity among Ijaw communities is particularly important at a time when traditional institutions and community leadership structures are attracting increasing attention.

‘Culture Is the Identity of a People’

Responding to the delegation, HRH Dr. Selky Kile Torughedi commended the women for their organisation and commitment to preserving Ijaw culture in Abuja.

The monarch urged Ijaws in the diaspora to remain proud of their heritage, respect their customs and ensure that younger generations are taught the Ijaw language, traditions and values.

“Be proud of who you are. Respect our customs, our language, and our way of life. Teach your children so that the Ijaw name will continue to be respected wherever we find ourselves,” the monarch said.

He also called for cooperation among Ijaw associations across the FCT and Northern Nigeria, arguing that collaboration would create greater opportunities in education, empowerment, business and community development.

‘Young Shall Grow Is Not a Coward’

Meanwhile, the leadership controversy has triggered strong reactions from individuals who identify with the history of the Niger Delta struggle.

In a separate account titled “Dark Days of the Creeks of Lobia 2,” Ambassador Kenneth Israel, Information Officer of the IYC Bassan Clan, recounted what he described as an experience he witnessed during the turbulent period of the MEND struggle.

Israel said he was a secondary school student at the time when he allegedly witnessed a confrontation involving South Wing MEND fighters led by General Young Shall Grow around Lobia 2.

According to his account, military personnel reportedly opened fire as the MEND boats returned from Ukubie, creating panic among residents.

He further alleged that following the incident, military personnel moved around the community, beating and humiliating young men whom they accused of supporting militants.

Israel said the experience shaped his perception of Young Shall Grow, arguing that the former militant commander should not be interpreted as weak simply because he advocates peace.

“HRH Dr. Selky-Kile Torughedi, A.K.A. Gen. Young Shall Grow, is not a coward simply because he has always chosen peace over violence,” he wrote.

He claimed that Young Shall Grow had maintained that he would not deliberately turn his own community into a battlefield and preferred confrontations to take place away from civilians.

Tompolo Versus Young Shall Grow?

The controversy has now raised a much bigger question within sections of the Ijaw community: Is the disagreement between Tompolo’s camp and Young Shall Grow becoming a struggle for influence over Ijaw traditional leadership outside the Niger Delta?

South-Wing MEND has urged High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) to intervene and restrain individuals it says are attempting to create division.

The group said it respects Tompolo but insisted that respect must be mutual and that no individual, regardless of political, financial or historical influence, should be allowed to undermine established traditional institutions.

The group also alleged that attempts were being made to use influence and financial strength to take over traditional leadership structures — allegations that remain unproven and have not been publicly established by an independent authority.

At the centre of the dispute is a competing claim that Rowland Ekpemupolo has been presented in some quarters as “King-Elect of Ijaws in Abuja/Northern Region Kingdom.”

The conflicting claims have yet to receive a definitive public clarification from the relevant traditional authorities.

A Battle Bigger Than a Palace?

For many observers, the dispute goes beyond the identity of who occupies a traditional stool.

It touches on a much deeper question within the Ijaw nation: Who determines Ijaw leadership outside the traditional homeland, and can traditional institutions survive when competing centres of influence emerge?

The solidarity visit by the Arogbo women has therefore assumed significance beyond a routine palace engagement.

By publicly standing with Dr. Torughedi, the women have reinforced the argument that the monarch continues to enjoy grassroots support among sections of the Ijaw community in Abuja.

The controversy also risks creating new fault lines if the competing sides fail to embrace dialogue.

For now, the central question remains unanswered: Is this simply an Abuja kingship dispute, or is it the beginning of a much larger power struggle between the camp of Tompolo and the camp of Young Shall Grow over who controls the political and traditional influence of the Ijaw outside the Niger Delta?

Neither Tompolo nor Rowland Ekpemupolo had, as of the time of filing this report, publicly responded to the allegations attributed to South-Wing MEND. There was also no official statement cited from the FCT Council of Traditional Rulers conclusively settling the competing claims.

Stakeholders are therefore being urged to pursue dialogue and ensure that a disagreement over traditional leadership does not become another source of division within an already diverse Ijaw nation.