Fresh tension has erupted in Warri South Local Government Area following allegations by the Warri Council of Chiefs that armed soldiers stormed Pessu community on September 18, 2025, and killed a local vigilante head, Dele Ogunbayo, alongside four others.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Chief Brown Mene, who spoke on behalf of the Warri chiefs, alleged that the soldiers stormed the community at midnight in four trucks, opened fire on residents, and “ensured that Ogunbayo was dead” before taking his body to the morgue.
“The deceased has now joined the growing list of Itsekiri sons murdered in this crisis,” Mene said, adding that the Council of Chiefs has already lodged a petition with the police, demanding a full investigation.
Mene further accused the Delta State Government of politicizing the crisis rocking the Warri Federal Constituency, urging Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to set up a panel of inquiry to unravel the truth behind the incident.
He also called on the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to launch independent investigations, while urging the Federal Government to review its policy of ceding security responsibilities to private individuals “with ethnic agendas.”
The Warri chiefs insisted that Warri South is under Itsekiri territorial sovereignty, stressing that the Ogbe-Ijoh throne does not extend beyond its boundaries.
However, in a swift rebuttal, the Nigerian Army described the slain vigilante leader differently.
Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 63 Brigade, Capt. Iliyasu Bawa-Rijau, said Ogunbayo was not a vigilante leader but a “suspected cultist” killed during an armed confrontation with troops.
According to the Army, the operation was part of an ongoing crackdown on cultists and kidnappers in Warri South. “During a firefight, Mr. Dele was neutralized and a pump-action gun was recovered from the scene,” the statement said.
It also announced the arrest of another notorious cultist, Stephen Fragene Pessu, who allegedly confessed to being part of a gang involved in kidnappings-for-ransom and violent crimes in the area.
Commending the troops for their resilience, Commander 63 Brigade/Sector 1, JTF South-South, Operation Delta Safe, Brigadier M.A. Shonibare, assured residents of continued military operations to rid Warri of criminal gangs and urged citizens to go about their lawful activities without fear.
The conflicting accounts between the Warri chiefs and the Army have deepened public concern over the crisis, with calls mounting for Governor Oborevwori and federal authorities to act swiftly to prevent further escalation.
Credit: Daily Post except headline
