Bayelsa Clash: Monarch Distances Nembe E&P From Fatal Violence

The Amadabo of Diema in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, His Royal Highness Ingo Ikele Ikaba, has denied any link between Nembe Exploration and Production Company Limited and the communal violence that led to the death of his younger brother and personal assistant, Alfred Ojoko, popularly known as Heavyweight.

The monarch said the company’s proposed land acquisition and lease process had been peaceful and was not connected to the fatal confrontation on October 19, 2026.

He instead pointed to tensions surrounding black sand mining, unresolved land-boundary disagreements and disputes over community resources as issues that should be properly investigated to establish the circumstances behind the incident.

Ikaba’s position comes amid the Bayelsa State Government’s decision to suspend Nembe E&P’s land acquisition activities in the affected area following the violence.

The company has strongly rejected the government’s action, arguing that there is no evidence linking it to the confrontation. It has demanded a public withdrawal of the announcement and threatened legal action over what it considers damage to its reputation and business interests.

In his account, the monarch said the land acquisition process began early last year and had continued without any major disturbance before the October incident.

He explained that the Dieama and Ikei communities had cooperated with the process, which was intended to create opportunities for development in the area.

According to Ikaba, Nembe E&P had visited the communities twice before the incident, and neither visit resulted in any reported violence.

He therefore questioned attempts to connect the company’s activities with the death of his brother, insisting that such claims did not reflect his understanding of the events.

The monarch also identified black sand mining as a major source of disagreement in the area. He said he had consistently opposed the activity because of concerns about environmental damage and its possible impact on the future of the communities.

He further noted that disagreements over land boundaries had remained unresolved, creating tensions that required the attention of relevant authorities.

Ikaba appealed to members of the public to avoid spreading unverified accounts of the incident, warning that misleading reports could wrongly implicate individuals or organisations and worsen the situation.

He urged security agencies and other relevant authorities to base their investigations on evidence and verifiable information rather than speculation.

Nembe E&P, in its separate response to the state government’s directive, also maintained that it neither caused nor encouraged the violence and had no role in the confrontation.

The company said its involvement in the proposed land acquisition was limited to a proposal submitted through a third party with which it had other business dealings.

It stated that it did not have a representative on the team that visited the site, adding that the inspection exercise was peaceful and ended without any incident.

Nembe further said its inquiries suggested that the dispute was connected to opposition to black sand mining allegedly associated with Starant Mining Limited, as well as disagreements over community leadership and control of resources.

The company questioned why its name was linked to the fatal incident when, according to it, no specific act or omission had been identified to establish its involvement.

It also faulted the government’s suspension of its land acquisition activities, describing the measure as a blanket and indefinite restriction.

The company argued that the government had not explained the legal basis for the suspension, identified any breach, stated how long the restriction would remain in place or provided a process for reviewing the decision.

Nembe warned that associating a company with fatal violence without first establishing the facts could damage its reputation, affect business relationships and discourage investment.

It consequently demanded an immediate public retraction of the government’s announcement, saying the withdrawal should receive publicity comparable to the original statement. The company also reserved its right to pursue legal action to protect its commercial and reputational interests.

In another development, the Amanyanabo of Ikei Ama, Okpoama Kingdom, His Royal Highness Ebi Spencer-Tekenah, the Tiefienyo Furo family and the people of Ikei Ama have also denied any involvement in the violence.

Their solicitors, TEE Legal, issued a public disclaimer signed by Chief Eric Tekena-Ayeba Tonye, describing reports linking their clients to the incident as false and misleading.

The lawyers said a land inspection involving members of the Tiefienyo Furo family and representatives of an indigenous oil exploration company had been conducted peacefully and concluded several hours before the confrontation.

They rejected any suggestion that the inspection was connected to the violence, maintaining that there was no credible evidence establishing the involvement of their clients.

The solicitors also called attention to information about alleged illegal black sand mining in the area, saying the matter deserved proper investigation.

They condemned the loss of life and urged the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation to determine what happened and identify those responsible.

The separate statements by the monarch, Nembe E&P and the Ikei Ama community have brought the disputes over black sand mining, land ownership and community leadership in Brass Local Government Area into sharper focus.

While the monarch insists that the company’s land acquisition activities were peaceful and unrelated to his brother’s death, Nembe E&P is challenging the government’s decision to associate it with the violence. The Ikei Ama community has also denied any connection to the incident.

The central issue now is for the relevant authorities to establish the circumstances that led to the fatal confrontation, identify those responsible and determine whether disputes over mining, land and community resources played a role.