Your Excellency,
We write this open letter out of deep distress, helplessness, and concern for the continued survival of the people of Beneku Community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, who we allege have suffered decades of intimidation, land dispossession, economic strangulation and violent attacks by Umusadege Community of Utagba-Ogbe in Ndokwa West Local Government Area.
This appeal is necessitated by renewed tensions and the most recent killing of a Beneku indigene, Mr. Ugo Otuya, on December 19, 2025, an incident which has revived fears of a possible resurgence of large-scale violence linked to long-standing land and oil-related disputes in the area.
Beneku Community traces its origin to Ndam, an ancestor who migrated from the ancient Benin Empire during the reign of Oba Ewuare the Great. After sojourns through present-day Anambra and Delta areas, Ndam eventually settled east of the Ase Creek, where Beneku was established. The community has since existed as a distinct and autonomous settlement, with established traditional leadership structures and ancestral lands.
Historical records show that Beneku and the founders of Umusadege once cohabited peacefully. However, tensions emerged following a 1933 land dispute involving Umusadege and Ogbedigbo communities, during which Beneku people testified truthfully in court. This action allegedly marked the beginning of hostility, with Umusadege leaders thereafter laying claim to Beneku lands west of the Ase Creek.
The discovery of oil in Beneku land in the 1960s, now within OML 60 operated by Oando Energy Resources in joint venture with NNPC, significantly worsened the conflict. While Beneku chiefs assisted security forces and oil operators during the civil war era, the community later alleged marginalisation and exclusion from compensation and benefits arising from oil operations.
In 1972, a consent judgment was reached to resolve disputes over land ownership and compensation sharing between Beneku and Umusadege. However, Beneku leaders maintain that the agreement was entered under coercion and has been repeatedly violated by Umusadege, particularly regarding revenue sharing from oil proceeds.
In 2007, Beneku approached the courts again over alleged violations of the consent judgment. On March 30, 2017, the Delta State High Court, presided over by Justice Nduka Obi, reaffirmed the validity of the 1972 consent judgment and ordered proper accounting and sharing of proceeds in the agreed 1:6 ratio.
Despite the ruling, Beneku alleges that Umusadege leaders have refused to comply with the judgment, failed to render accounts, and continued to monopolise oil-related benefits. The community also claims that the judgment was never appealed, making it binding and enforceable.
Beneku further recounts a history of violent attacks allegedly carried out by Umusadege youths, including the 1998 invasion of Agip oil facilities, hostage-taking, destruction of property, and coordinated assaults on Beneku residents. The most severe incident occurred on November 10, 1998, when Beneku town was allegedly attacked, homes were burnt, and several indigenes were killed.
The community states that despite government interventions and peace communiqués, threats and attacks have persisted intermittently over the years, creating an atmosphere of fear and displacement.
The killing of Mr. Ugo Otuya on December 19, 2025, allegedly after being lured to a gathering in Umusadege, has heightened tensions. Beneku leaders describe the incident as a targeted killing and contradict claims by Umusadege representatives in court that their community is peaceful and unarmed.
They fear that the incident may signal a renewed campaign of violence aimed at silencing Beneku voices and consolidating control over oil-producing lands.
Beneku also alleges a new strategy by Umusadege leaders to bypass accountability by presenting non-Beneku individuals as beneficiaries under the consent judgment, thereby diverting entitlements meant for Beneku families. They argue that this violates both traditional norms and court-endorsed agreements governing leadership succession and benefit sharing.
Your Excellency, we respectfully call on your office to urgently intervene by enforcing existing court judgments, ensuring the protection of lives and property in Beneku, and compelling compliance with lawful agreements governing land and oil benefits.
We also appeal for an independent investigation into past and recent killings, including the death of Mr. Ugo Otuya, and for measures to prevent further violence. Beneku Community seeks nothing more than the right to exist peacefully within Ndokwa East Local Government Area, as recognised by the 1991 Federal Government Gazette, without intimidation or fear.
We believe that prompt government intervention will prevent a recurrence of large-scale communal violence and restore confidence in the rule of law. We therefore urge Your Excellency to act decisively in the interest of peace, justice and equity in Delta State.
Respectfully submitted,
HRH Ajuwa Onyemike
Okpala-Uku, Beneku
High Chief Samson Enene
Community Leader
Mr. Innocent Okpor
CDC Chairman
Onwubolu Godwin
General Secretary
Okechukwu Otuya
Youth President
