This is a text of response by Abigboro Community in reaction to the press briefing by the Sapele Okpe Community presented by Chief Onoriode Temiagin having the Chairman of Ugbukurusu Community, Mr Azan Friday and other EXCO members of Sapele Okpe Community and Ugbukurusu Community.

The content and substance of their press statement were that Abigborodo and Obotie Communities are laying claim to ownership of land where SEPLAT operates and are legitimately agitating to be recognized as Host Communities of SEPLAT WEST LIMITED/SEPLAT ENERGY LTD in compliance with the provisions of  the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 and the NIGERIA UPSTREAM PETROLEUM HOST COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS, 2022.

In the press briefing, they confirmed that the matter is before the Delta State Peace Building and Conflict Resolution under the Office of the Executive Governor of Delta State and headed by Chief Edwin Uzor, special adviser investigating the matter and that on the 16th January, 2025, they came for the visitation otherwise known as visit to locus in quo to ascertain the claim of Abigborodo, Obotie Community on Thursday 16th January, 2025 and deliberately exclude Ugbekoko community from their press statement.

They claim the team of the state peace building and conflict resolution was in speed boat with the people of Abigborodo and Obotie communities.

They painted a narrative of bias against the special adviser and his team/staff for embarking on the visitation without the Sapele Okpe Community and requested the removal of the special adviser from the ongoing investigation.

Surprisingly they lebelled our revered and progressive chief, Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan (The Alema of Warri) as the purported personality involved in their purported incursion into the Okpe-Sobo (Urhobo) forest reserve.

THE CASE OF ABIGBORODO

1 Abigborodo community from time immemorial are owners of land covering Area of operations of Seplat including Ugbekoko Community housing Seplat jetty, several oil wells, the flow stations and virtually all the drilling locations of SEPLAT WEST LIMITED.

2 The Abigborodo Community had made several entreaties to SEPLAT to be recognized as Host Community all to no avail

3 While the agitation was ongoing, SEPLAT decided to enter into other areas of our land to commence preparation for new oil wells just at the backward of our community

4 We brought it to the notice and urge them to recognize us as Host Community all stop the illegal trespass into our land

5 In response, SEPLAT claimed we are only impacted community, not Host Community

6 Upon our refusal to accept the impacted community unknown to the Petroleum necessitated our consequent action which is adumbrated Act 2021 below:

I On 17th September 2024, we wrote to the Managing Director SEPLAT ENERGY PLC demanding for compliance with the PIA, 2021

NUPHCDR 2022 AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ACT 1992

Emphasizing the    bona fide claim of ownership of the Operations of SEPLAT and indeed the new drilling Area along the Mayuku Creek and Ugbekoko River

Accommodating Abigborodo Community as Host Community in accordance in accordance with provisions of section 318 PIA, 235 PIA, Regulations 4-6 of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Host Communities Development

On 21st October 2024, we wrote another letter to the AG, Delta State, the Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Delta State, the Commissioner for Environment, Delta State, the Commissioner for Lands and Surveys, the Surveyor General, Delta State after they came on a joint visit to the Area wherein Obotie and Abigborodo communities were present with the deliberate absence of Seplat.

Consequent upon this letter, the Office of the Coordinator, State Security Services of Warri North and Sapele Local Government in company of the divisional police officers of Sapele and Warri North LGA by boat visited the Area under contention after the visit of the State Director of SSS invited Abigborodo and SEPLAT to Asaba at the State Office of DSS. The takeaway from that meeting was that all parties should maintain peace. SEPLAT promised to respond to our claim. SEPLAT was advised not to continue with the operation of the preparation of Drilling of new wells until the issues are resolved and that the Office of DSS will escalate our complaints to the top echelon of governance in Delta State and Nigeria.

After two weeks of waiting and the work was ongoing, Abigborodo Community had no other choice than to stage a peaceful protest for our voices to be heard in exercise of our constitutionally guaranteed rights to peaceful protests.

By a letter dated 25th November, 2024, we notified His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Delta State, RT HONOURABLE SHERIFF OBOREVWORI, copying all security chiefs, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Commissioner for Oil and Gas amongst others of our proposed peaceful protests which commenced on 27th November 2024.

On the 4th day of the protest, the Commanding Officer 90 Amphibious Battalion, Col 0. 0 Okedigba, Nigeria Army Koko intervened by calling a meeting of all stakeholders, including SEPLAT, all security chiefs in Sapele and Warri North Local Government, , the resolution from that meeting was for a two-week suspension of the peaceful protests pending discussions and resolution. SEPLAT subsequently   petitioned Abigborodo, Obotie and Ugbekoko communities to the Governor of Delta State on a purported unlawful demand and disruption of SEPLAT’s operations.

It is this petition of SEPLAT that the Delta State Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Unit of the Governor’s Office is investigating necessitating this visit.

SPECIFIC RESPONSE TO THE PRESS STATEMENT BY SAPELE OKPE COMMUNITY OF SAPELE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

1 Their reference to Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, the Alema of Warri is defamatory and grossly disrespectful. The reason for the investigation and visit to locus in quo does not involve Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan. He was not present during the visit. It therefore bit our imagination that the Sapele Okpe Community will choose to assassinate the character of our chief and recognized administrative chief of Abigborodo, Ugbekoko and several riverine communities in Warri North and Sapele Local Government Area.

2 All issues surrounding the Okpe Sobo forest reserve have been settled and the decisions have been gazetted in Government White Paper Official Document No. 1 of 2021.

Their claim of incursion into the forest reserve is baseless as they have no land in the reserve. However, what is in contention here is the area of Operations of SEPLAT particularly the new area of drilling which the state peace building and conflict resolution is investigating which is in the river, Creeks. What is the Business of Sapele Okpe Community in the riverine areas bordering Abigborodo, Obotie and Ugbekoko communities?

It is also unbelievable that Ugbukurusu which is over 15 kilometers away laying claim of ownership in Areas of land in Abigborodo, land surrounded by Abigborodo, Obotie, Ugbekoko and Aja-Okotie. All are Itsekiri communities.

Gentlemen of the press the case of Abigborodo over the ownership of the land under investigation can be gleaned from our letter dated 6th December 2024 addressed to His Excellency the Executive Governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.

Their claim that Ugbekoko belongs to them and that the Sapele Local Government Council built the market is baseless and lacks foundation. Permit me to read some portions of our letter of 16th 2024 which is a response of the petition of SEPLAT to the governor of Delta State pointed out above (Read paragraph 1-10 of pages 2 and 3)

3 REACTIONS TO THE CLAIM OF BIAS AGAINST CHIEF EDWIN UZOR AND HIS TEAM

A night to the visit to locus in quo, SEPLAT energy in collaboration with the Sapele Okpe Community concocted a narrative of false claim of intelligence that there might be armed conflict with a view of preventing the visit of the committee to cover up the obvious facts. When they failed in that ploy, SEPLAT decided to avoid the joint visit. Instead of acting neutral in this investigation, they are fully in league with the Sapele Okpe and Ugbukurusu communities as they were seen in a sea truck boat belonging to SEPLAT together, even when the takeoff point of the visit was well communicated and it was Abigborodo Jetty and the area of investigation is the SEPLAT DREDGING SITE, the communities of Abigborodo, Obotie and other surrounding communities and SEPLAT operational base.

This visit by the investigation committee could be done with or without parties. They may even choose not to visit and rely on the visitation report of DSS and the inter-ministerial investigation committee that had physically visited.

No matter how it is seen, the visitation had all parties and could not be labeled as biased. The call for the removal of the special adviser to the governor of Delta State on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution by the Sapele Okpe Community is totally baseless, unfounded and lacks merit.

On that trip, we had the Coordinator, DSS, Warri North and Sapele LGA, the Chairman, Warri North Local Government Area, Hon Festus Ashima, other government officials and security officers on the visit with surveyors and pressmen. The visitation was publicly done to the full glare of all present to see and take notes.

We urge the Executive Governor of Delta State to ignore and discountenance the false cry of wolves by the Sapele Okpe Community. We call upon you to view the video coverage critically. What you see in their eyes is greed and falsehood.

We as a community, the bonafide owner of the land and Host Community to SEPLAT WEST LTD by all intents and purposes are prepared and ready for any other visit as the features, land, water and distance of our community to SEPLAT remain constant and we know the result of all visitation and even subsequent visitation to the Area in contention will remain the same, come rain or sun.

Consequently therefore, we urge the Governor of Delta State and all well-meaning Deltans to disregard the content of the press statement of the Sapele Okpe Community and allow the investigation of Chief Edwin Uzor, the Special Adviser on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution and his team to do their job without fear, favour or interference.

We thank you for listening.

HON MISAN UKUBEYINJE, ESQ

CHAIRMAN

ABIGBORODO MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

MR VICTOR ATSEPONU

SECRETARY

ABIGBORODO MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE