Indigenes of Obitugbo, a riverine Itsekiri Community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, have issued a pre-action notice against the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Police, and several influential figures over alleged human rights violations and interference in traditional leadership matters.

In a legal notice dated October 23, 2025, and signed by their solicitor, Chief Robinson Ariyo of Robinson Ariyo & Co., nine intending plaintiffs led by Professor Jim Omatseye accused the proposed defendants of “flagrant disregard for the rule of law and deliberate acts of intimidation against law-abiding citizens.”

The proposed defendants include the Armed Forces of the Federation, the Chief of Army Staff, the Police Service Commission, the Inspector General of Police, the Chairman of Warri North Local Government Council, and several Itsekiri chiefs and community leaders.

At the core of the dispute is the succession to the position of Olare-Aja (Community Head) of Obitugbo, a role traditionally reserved for the eldest unencumbered male descendant of the community.

The plaintiffs allege that state and local actors, working with security operatives, have moved to install an unqualified person in defiance of existing court orders and customary law.

According to the notice, the alleged imposition was “carefully hatched and facilitated by certain local government officials and traditional power brokers” who deployed armed forces to silence opposition.

Through their lawyer, Chief Ariyo, the plaintiffs have given the defendants one month to withdraw from the unlawful acts otherwise face legal action.

“The plaintiffs were unlawfully banished from their ancestral community through the use of armed officers and men of the Nigerian Army and Police Force. Their freedom of movement, association, and participation in community activities have been grossly violated.

“No amount of intimidation can silence the truth. Our clients will pursue justice for themselves and for the people of Obitugbo who have suffered indignities under the abuse of state power,” the notice stated.

The plaintiffs insist that by Itsekiri custom, and as affirmed by the declaration issued by His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, on September 7, 2024, only Professor Omatseye qualifies for the title.

However, they claim that some prominent community figures, including two chiefs of the kingdom and one other, conspired to install another candidate, further alleging that the move was “intended to subvert justice, usurp legitimate authority, and manipulate the community’s governance structure for personal gain.”

The plaintiffs also accused military and police officers stationed in Koko and Sapele of “aiding and providing illegal cover” for the defendants during an alleged unlawful ceremony to inaugurate new community bodies, including the Obitugbo Community Council of Elders, the Community Management Committee, and the Community Development Association, despite existing court orders maintaining the status quo.

“This brazen disregard for judicial authority and the principles of natural justice cannot stand. It is an affront to the rule of law and an abuse of human rights that must be redressed,” the plaintiffs’ statement read.

Among other reliefs, the plaintiffs are seeking judicial declarations that the actions of the security forces were unlawful, injunctions restraining further interference, and directives compelling the government to investigate and sanction the implicated officers.

The pre-action notice gives the defendants one month to respond before formal court proceedings begin. (The Nation)