Loading ...BENIN CITY, NIGERIA — A major regional dispute has erupted following a public declaration by Niger Delta activist Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, who labeled Edo State as the “next battleground” for Ijaw rights. [247ureports] reports that Dokubo’s remarks, which included direct warnings to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, regarding the alleged marginalization of Ijaw communities, have ignited sharp ethnic tensions across the country’s southern belt.
Speaking at the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide event in Degema, Rivers State, Dokubo—the Amayanabo of Torusarama-Piri—warned the Benin monarch to tread softly to avoid actions that could bring “destruction” to his territory. The comment immediately provoked a fierce defense of the ancient Benin Kingdom from Edo youth coalitions and prominent political stakeholders.
Bitter Online Backlash and Historical Fault Lines
The brewing crisis has rapidly spilled onto social media, reopening deep historical and political fault lines among Southern Nigerian ethnic groups. Commentators on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook have noted a sharp lack of solidarity from other regional groups, particularly the Igbo, who feel isolated by past internet disputes.
“When Asari Dokubo and Reno Omokri were attacking Igbo people, some Bini commentators cheered them on across social media,” noted an analyst tracking the digital fallout. “Now that the Ijaw leadership is directly threatening the Bini kingdom, many feel they are reaping the fruits of a toxic alliance they once supported out of sheer prejudice. The chickens have simply come home to roost.”
Other socio-political observers have warned that the Ijaw leader, who was once widely celebrated by various southern factions as an untamed “warrior” and a strong regional voice, is now being viewed through a highly polarizing lens as his rhetoric shifts toward neighboring sovereign traditional spaces.
Edo Stakeholders and Security Agencies React
The response from Edo State has been swift and unyielding. Prominent leader Chief Francis Inegbeniki, the Egbedi of Ozoro Land, strictly cautioned Dokubo to refrain from inciting unnecessary crisis between historically peaceful Ijaw and Bini neighbors.
Concurrently, a coalition of Edo youth groups, including the Otedo Youths, has formally petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police Command to intervene. The group warned that “no single tribe or ethnicity has a monopoly on violence,” calling for an immediate investigation into Dokubo’s statements before they translate into grassroots physical conflict.
The rhetorical warfare coincides with ongoing internal security measures inside the Benin Kingdom. Oba Ewuare II recently summoned traditional priests, native doctors, and youth leaders to palace meetings to roll out indigenous and strategic security measures against rising local instability, kidnapping, and cult violence. Security analysts fear that external ethnic friction could heavily complicate these fragile internal operations.
