BENIN CITY, NIGERIA — Outspoken Niger Delta activist and ex-militant leader, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, has declared Edo State as the next political “battleground” for the Ijaw ethnic nationality, triggering a wave of defensive security alerts and panic across neighboring Bini and Ondo State territories.
Loading ...The aggressive declaration follows highly controversial political maneuvers in Warri, Delta State, where critics accuse Ijaw political strategists of deploying financial inducements and legal tactics to alter the local balance of power.
The Edo Expansion and the Warning to Bini
Asari Dokubo’s pronouncement has sparked a fierce backlash among ethnic stakeholders in Edo State. Community observers are sounding a note of warning to the indigenous Bini population, some of whom had historically backed Ijaw interests against other regional competitors.
Critics are now warning that the political tide is turning inward against Benin Kingdom interests. “Rain don fall reach una gate o… una never see anything yet,” one regional political analyst cautioned, highlighting fears that previous strategic cooperation is rapidly morphing into an existential threat to Bini territory.
Ondo State Placed on High Alert
The geopolitical shockwaves from Dokubo’s declaration have extended directly into Ondo State. Indigenous groups in the state are bracing for a wave of aggressive legal and electoral challenges.
Local socio-cultural organizations fear that Ijaw political groups will deploy identical tactical operations seen in other states—including dragging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into protracted court battles—to challenge political outcomes, redraw electoral boundaries, and secure legislative seats within Ondo territories.
Accusations of “Fishing Camp” Land Encroachment
The core of the regional panic stems from long-standing allegations of systemic territorial expansion and aggressive land encroachment leveled against moving Ijaw settlements. Critics across the Niger Delta have issued stark warnings to agrarian and riverine communities to fiercely protect their borders.
“Never allow even one Ijaw person to set up a small fishing camp on your land,” a communal security advocate warned. “Give them two weeks and you will return to find 20 of them permanently settled there, claiming their ancestors descended from heaven to claim your territory. Try to chase them out, and they will threaten to kill you and your entire family.”
Bracing for Confrontation
As communities across Edo, Delta, and Ondo states brace for potential friction, local youth groups and traditional councils are calling for immediate vigilance.
With Dokubo’s rhetoric increasing geopolitical stakes across the Niger Delta, security agencies are being urged to closely monitor riverine borders and hot-spots to prevent the escalating political rhetoric from degenerating into bloody communal clashes.
