BAYELSA CREEK FEUD: BILABIRI LEADERSHIP DENIES WATERFRONT ATTACK, DEMANDS JTF RAIDS ON LETUGBENE, AMATU 2 TO RECOVER STOCKPILED ARSENALS

The leadership of Bilabiri Community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State has categorically denied a viral report alleging an armed ambush on Letugbene youths at the Bilabiri waterfront.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, CDC Chairman, Chief Tekenane Abaka; CDC Secretary, Ebike Adams; and the acting Amananawei, HRH Chief Opumor Abiodun Commander, described the report as a “complete fabrication” designed to mask what they alleged was a campaign of aggression and divert the government’s attention from investigating several attacks on Bilabiri Community.

The community leaders accused Iduwini Vanguard Media of running what they described as a malicious disinformation campaign disconnected from the physical realities of the area.

Questioning the logistics of the alleged attack, HRH Chief Opumor Abiodun Commander pointed to what he described as a geographical flaw in the account.

“The claim that Letugbene youths escaped an active ambush by manoeuvring their watercraft into a nearby shallow creek at the Bilabiri waterfront is a topographical fiction,” the monarch said.

He explained that the Bilabiri River is a wide, open waterway devoid of the shallow channels or hidden creeks described in the report, arguing that anyone familiar with the terrain would recognise that the incident could not have happened as reported.

The leadership also rejected media reports suggesting that it had conceded that the alleged incident occurred or accepted responsibility for the conduct of militants.

Chief Tekenane Abaka said: “We categorically declare that no such acknowledgement was ever made by the Bilabiri leadership, and we do not have militants.

“At no point did the CDC Chairman or any member of our executive cabinet issue a statement admitting responsibility for an incident that never occurred.”

Abaka challenged Iduwini Vanguard Media to produce verifiable documentation of any alleged admission or issue an immediate retraction.

Providing an account of events on the night in question, CDC Secretary Ebike Adams said the community was disturbed at approximately 10:30 p.m. by the distinctive roar of a high-powered, 200-horsepower boat engine near the waterfront.

According to Adams, residents who were awake at the time identified the occupants as members of a youth faction from Amatu 2 and Letugbene. He alleged that they were seen discharging firearms close to Bilabiri before making a high-speed exit towards Letugbene.

Adams described the sequence of events as a propaganda tactic, alleging that the actors carried out aggressive operations on the waterways before turning to the media to portray themselves as victims, thereby attempting to shape public perception before an independent investigation could establish the facts.

HRH Chief Opumor Abiodun Commander alleged that when the aggressors realised that Bilabiri had not physically retaliated against what he described as unprovoked attacks, but instead reported the incidents to law enforcement agencies, they resorted to publishing what he called false claims online.

He further alleged that the continued encroachment by elements from Amatu 2 was part of a longstanding strategy to instigate conflict with neighbouring communities.

The monarch said the ongoing dispute was not genuinely about “black sand” mining, as had been claimed, but alleged that the issue was being used as a distraction.

He claimed that some Iduwini leaders had deployed youths to use the black sand narrative as a smokescreen while pursuing other valuable natural resources allegedly located on Bilabiri land through continued attacks on the community.

Expanding on what he described as a pattern of hostility, HRH Chief Opumor Abiodun Commander alleged that although the era associated with militant leader Mr Koikoi had passed, elements from the Amatu 2 bloc had raised a new generation, described as “the twins,” to lead armed operations against surrounding communities.

The leadership alleged that a similar pattern occurred last year when some Iduwini clan elements, allegedly operating from Letugbene Community, harassed Ogbotobo Community over disputed land. It claimed that similar intimidation tactics were now being deployed against Bilabiri.

The statement also referenced alleged incursions on August 17, August 19 and September 1, 2026, which it claimed involved a combined youth group that included Letugbene indigenes identified as Mr Amay, Mr Seiopia, Mr Parama, Mr Victor Elkanah, Mr Baby-face, Mr Young-money and Mr Galala.

The Bilabiri Executive Council also raised concerns about the alleged possession and supply of weapons by members of the opposing faction. It named Victor Elkanah, popularly known as Ibori, as an alleged arms supplier linked to the current tensions in the area.

The leadership further alleged that Elkanah was involved in a maritime incident about four years ago involving the abduction of Nigerian Navy personnel and civilians along the Bonny River axis in Rivers State, with the hostages allegedly taken to Letugbene.

According to the statement, the incident prompted a naval operation aimed at recovering weapons, during which several alleged members of the group were detained.

The community leaders said footage relating to the naval operation could be found online and called for the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case and subsequent developments.

They further alleged that Elkanah was later engaged by Tantita Security Services, a private pipeline surveillance company, under what they described as a rehabilitation arrangement aimed at discouraging involvement in maritime piracy and kidnapping.

The Bilabiri leaders claimed that the arrangement had failed to achieve its intended purpose, alleging that resources were still being used to sustain armed groups. These claims were not independently verified in the statement.

Against the backdrop of the escalating tensions, the Bilabiri authorities called on the Joint Task Force (JTF), the Bayelsa State Government and federal intelligence agencies to investigate the allegations.

They demanded a forensic investigation into what they described as disinformation being circulated by Iduwini Vanguard Media, a full investigation into the alleged August incursions on Bilabiri territory, and a review of the security architecture along the Dodo River axis to tackle arms proliferation and monitor security actors working under government contracts.

The leadership specifically appealed to national security agencies to conduct lawful search operations in Letugbene and Amatu 2 communities to investigate allegations that sophisticated weapons were being stockpiled by youth factions and to recover any illegally held arms found during such operations.

“The Bilabiri Community has maintained an unblemished record of peace, opting for institutional dialogue over violence,” Adams said.

“However, our commitment to the rule of law must not be misconstrued as weakness. We will no longer tolerate the systematic harassment of our citizens, the poaching of our assets or armed incursions into our ancestral home.”

Adams concluded by warning against further provocations and what he described as manufactured media campaigns against Bilabiri, saying the community would respond through lawful judicial and security channels.