The Amadabo of Diema in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, His Royal Highness Ingo Ikele Ikaba, has absolved Nembe Exploration and Production Company Limited (Nembe E&P) of involvement in the communal violence that claimed the life of his younger brother and personal assistant, Mr Alfred Ojoko, popularly known as “Heavyweight,” on October 19, 2026.
The monarch maintained that the company’s proposed land acquisition and lease process had been peaceful and was not connected to the fatal confrontation, identifying longstanding tensions over black sand mining, unresolved land-boundary disputes and disagreements over community resources as matters requiring investigation.
His position comes amid controversy surrounding the Bayelsa State Government’s directive suspending Nembe E&P’s land acquisition activities in Brass Local Government Area following the incident.
While the company has rejected any suggestion that it was responsible for the violence and demanded an immediate public retraction of the government’s announcement, the Amanyanabo of Ikei Ama, Okpoama Kingdom, His Royal Highness Ebi Spencer-Tekenah, the Tiefienyo Furo family and the people of Ikei Ama have similarly denied involvement in the confrontation.
In a formal statement, Ikaba, who described the deceased as his younger brother and personal assistant, said attempts to connect Ojoko’s death with Nembe’s land acquisition activities did not accurately reflect the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to the monarch, the proposed land acquisition and lease arrangement commenced early in 2025 and had progressed without any major incident before the October 19 confrontation.
He explained that the Diema and Ikei communities had been cooperating in good faith towards facilitating the proposed development, with the expectation that it would create economic opportunities for residents.
Ikaba disclosed that the company had undertaken two previous visits to the area without any confrontation or disturbance.
“I wish to state unequivocally that this narrative does not reflect the circumstances as I understand them. For the avoidance of doubt, the land acquisition/lease process commenced early last year and, until the events in question, had been progressing without any major incident.
“Both the Dieama and Ikei communities had been cooperating in good faith with a common objective of facilitating the process and creating opportunities for meaningful development within our communities. It is also pertinent to note that the company had undertaken two previous visits to the area without any reported incident,” the monarch stated.
He maintained that the peaceful history of the land acquisition discussions made it necessary to distinguish the proposed transaction from the circumstances that resulted in his brother’s death.
According to him, attention should instead be directed towards longstanding disagreements within the communities, particularly disputes relating to black sand mining, land boundaries and the control of communal resources.
The traditional ruler disclosed that he had consistently opposed black sand mining activities in the area because of their potential environmental consequences.
“I have consistently opposed this mining activity because of its potential adverse consequences for our environment and the long-term interests of our people,” he stated.
Ikaba also identified unresolved land-boundary disagreements as another source of friction, explaining that some disputes involving community interests had yet to be amicably settled.
He maintained that these underlying tensions should be properly investigated rather than attributing the fatal confrontation to a land transaction that had previously proceeded peacefully.
The monarch cautioned against the circulation of unsubstantiated accounts capable of misrepresenting the incident, unfairly implicating individuals or organisations and further escalating tensions.
He stressed that the death of his brother required a thorough investigation based on verifiable evidence.
Ikaba specifically rejected attempts to connect the death to the land acquisition and lease arrangement associated with Nembe’s proposed development.
He urged the relevant authorities to establish the actual circumstances of the confrontation and identify those responsible.
The controversy followed the Bayelsa State Government’s announcement on October 27, 2026, directing Nembe E&P, the operator of Oil Mining Lease 29, to suspend all land acquisition activities and related processes in Brass Local Government Area.
The directive was announced by the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Mrs Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, following the fatal clash involving communities in the affected area.
According to the government, the confrontation claimed one life and left several other persons seriously injured.
Governor Douye Diri consequently directed the company to halt the land acquisition process until further notice as part of measures intended to prevent further violence and facilitate a peaceful resolution of the dispute.
The state government also disclosed that the police had restored normalcy in the affected communities.
It appealed to residents, particularly youths, to remain calm and avoid actions capable of aggravating the situation.
However, Nembe E&P has challenged the decision to suspend its activities, maintaining that the government had not established any connection between the company and the fatal confrontation.
In a formal response, the company expressed condolences to the bereaved family and affected communities but insisted that it neither caused, instigated nor participated in the violence.
It argued that the state government’s announcement had created an impression of corporate involvement in the incident without identifying any specific action or omission by the company that contributed to the crisis.
Nembe E&P explained that its only involvement in the proposed land acquisition was through a proposal presented by a third party with which it had other ongoing business transactions.
The company maintained that it did not have any representative among the persons who conducted the relevant site inspection.
According to the firm, the inspection was peaceful and had concluded without any incident.
Nembe E&P said its subsequent inquiries suggested that the underlying dispute concerned opposition to black sand mining activities allegedly associated with Starant Mining Limited, alongside unresolved disagreements over community leadership, land ownership and the control of communal resources.
The company emphasised that these were matters separate from its proposed land acquisition.
It further questioned why the state government associated the company with the confrontation when, according to its account, no evidence of involvement had been disclosed.
Nembe E&P maintained that the government’s decision had adversely affected its corporate reputation and commercial interests.
The firm described the suspension as a “blanket and indefinite” restriction, arguing that the government had failed to identify any breach of law or regulation that would justify the measure.
It also complained that the announcement did not specify the duration of the suspension, provide a mechanism for its review or disclose the statutory basis for imposing the restriction.
According to the company, the seriousness of a communal crisis does not remove the obligation of public authorities to establish a factual basis before associating an organisation with an incident or taking adverse administrative action against it.
Nembe E&P argued that the absence of such clarification created uncertainty about the legal and factual justification for the government’s intervention.
The company also expressed concern over what it described as a recurring pattern of being associated with incidents allegedly unrelated to its operations.
It recalled an earlier allegation involving an incident more than 200 kilometres from its operational acreage, maintaining that the government had previously linked it to circumstances disconnected from its business activities.
The company consequently called on the Bayelsa State Government to disclose the evidence supporting such associations and explain why its name continued to be connected with incidents for which it maintained no involvement had been established.
It warned that public allegations made without sufficient factual justification could damage corporate reputation, weaken business confidence, disrupt commercial relationships and prejudice legitimate financial interests.
Nembe E&P maintained that such consequences could become more serious when official statements were widely circulated through national and international media reports.
The company consequently demanded an immediate and unequivocal retraction of the government’s announcement.
It insisted that the withdrawal should be communicated publicly with the same level of prominence and circulation as the original statement.
The oil company also reserved its legal rights to protect its reputation, business operations and financial interests.
The development has raised questions about the factual basis for linking the company’s land acquisition activities to the fatal confrontation and the legal justification for maintaining the suspension.
However, the Bayelsa State Government’s original announcement presented the suspension as a measure to prevent further escalation of the communal crisis and restore peace, rather than as a judicial finding that the company was responsible for the death.
In a related 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 rejected allegations connecting them with the violence.
Their position was communicated through their solicitors, TEE Legal, in a public disclaimer signed by Chief Eric Tekena-Ayeba Tonye.
The lawyers described reports linking their clients to the incident as false and misleading.
They maintained that the land inspection exercise involving members of the Tiefienyo Furo family and representatives of an indigenous oil exploration company had been conducted peacefully.
According to the solicitors, the exercise ended several hours before the confrontation that claimed Ojoko’s life.
They argued that the earlier inspection should not be treated as evidence connecting their clients to the violence.
“For the avoidance of doubt, our clients categorically disclaim any involvement in, connection with, nor responsibility for the said incident,” the solicitors stated.
The lawyers maintained that no credible factual basis had been established to suggest that the land inspection caused or contributed to the confrontation.
They also pointed to preliminary information concerning alleged illegal black sand mining activities in the affected area, urging security agencies to examine the claims as part of their investigation.
The solicitors cautioned members of the public and the media against circulating unverified allegations capable of exposing innocent persons to suspicion or aggravating existing tensions.
They condemned the loss of life and reiterated their clients’ support for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The lawyers consequently called on the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant authorities to conduct an impartial and professional investigation to establish the facts, identify those responsible and ensure that appropriate legal action is taken.
The competing accounts have placed renewed attention on the longstanding tensions involving black sand mining, land ownership, community leadership and the control of resources in the affected axis of Brass Local Government Area.
While Ikaba maintains that Nembe E&P’s land acquisition process was peaceful and unrelated to the death of his brother, the company has rejected any implication in the violence and challenged the government’s suspension of its activities.
Similarly, the Ikei Ama community and the Tiefienyo Furo family have denied involvement, insisting that their participation in an earlier land inspection had no connection with the fatal incident.
The Bayelsa State Government, on its part, has maintained that its intervention followed the communal crisis and was aimed at preventing further violence and restoring peace.
The controversy now centres on establishing the immediate cause of the October 19 confrontation, determining the roles of those involved and examining whether longstanding disputes over mining, land boundaries and community resources contributed to the violence.
Although the monarch has publicly defended Nembe E&P and the company has demanded a retraction, the circumstances of the death remain subject to investigation.
Post Title: “Land Acquisition Was Peaceful” — Bayelsa Monarch Clears Nembe E&P Over Fatal Clash, Company Demands Govt Retraction By Naijaonpoint.