The Oghara Study Group (OSG) has raised the alarm over what it described as a worsening wave of banditry, kidnappings and killings in Oghara Kingdom, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, saying victims are increasingly being murdered even after ransom payments while poor families are left helpless and devastated.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, the civic advocacy group said the once peaceful kingdom has become a hotspot for organised criminal violence, with residents living in fear as kidnappers, armed gangs and cult groups continue to attack communities, farms and major roads without adequate intervention.
The group said the latest tragedy involved the abduction of a husband and wife, where the husband was allegedly killed by his captors while the wife regained her freedom only after a ransom was paid. According to the OSG, the incident has heightened fear among residents and strengthened calls for urgent intervention by the Federal Government, Delta State Government and Ethiope West Local Government Council.
The OSG said the increasing insecurity has turned life into a nightmare for many families, particularly the poor and less privileged who are unable to raise huge ransom payments demanded by kidnappers. It lamented that in several cases, victims were killed before any rescue could be carried out, while others were murdered even after ransom had been paid, leaving families to mourn their loved ones and suffer severe financial hardship.
Presenting an executive summary of its findings, the group described Oghara Kingdom as the historic “Gateway to Urhoboland” and home to major institutions including the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, Western Delta University and several oil and gas companies. It warned that persistent insecurity now threatens education, healthcare, agriculture, investment and economic activities across the kingdom.
The OSG noted that Oghara occupies a strategic position along the Warri-Sapele corridor, a major route for people, goods and petroleum logistics in the Niger Delta, making the security challenges in the kingdom a matter of wider public concern.
The group also stressed that Oghara is the home of several prominent political leaders in Delta State and Nigeria, including former Delta State Governor and elder statesman, Chief James Onanefe Ibori; the member representing Ethiope Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, daughter of Chief Ibori; respected political leader, Chief Ighoyota Amori; and many other distinguished sons and daughters who have made significant contributions to public service and national development. It said despite producing influential leaders and serving as an educational, healthcare and oil-producing hub, the kingdom has continued to endure relentless attacks by kidnappers and armed criminal gangs, with ordinary residents bearing the greatest burden of the insecurity.
According to the OSG, documented incidents reveal a disturbing pattern of armed banditry, kidnapping for ransom, cult-related violence and ritual killings stretching across Oghara and surrounding communities, including the Oghara-Sapele and Warri-Sapele corridors.
The group listed several verified incidents, including the June 25, 2026 kidnapping and killing along the Otefe-Ovade Link Road in which one victim was killed while ransom was paid for another. It also cited the June 23 kidnapping on the Ologbo-Benin Road where the victim remained in captivity as negotiations continued.
Other incidents highlighted included the killing of a farmer during a kidnapping in Ogharefe in May 2026 despite ransom payment, while his body was yet to be recovered. In April 2026, another farmer was reportedly abducted, raped and killed at Otefe Village before any rescue could be effected.
The OSG further recalled kidnappings in Ogharefe in March 2026, Ijomi Village in February 2026 and Ovade Junction in January 2026, noting that while some victims regained freedom after ransom payments, others died before rescue efforts could succeed. Similar cases were also recorded between July and December 2025 across Oghareki, Ogharefe, Ovade Village and the Otefe-Ovade Link Road.
The group said the recurring attacks have left many families traumatised, with survivors receiving little or no psychosocial support. It added that fear of attacks has restricted movement, disrupted farming, business activities, education and worship, while undermining confidence in the existing security architecture.
“The persistence of banditry-induced violence in Oghara Kingdom reflects a wider failure of coordinated security governance rather than the failure of any single agency,” the group stated, stressing that traditional institutions and community structures should be recognised as active partners in addressing insecurity.
The OSG called on the Federal Government to deploy additional police personnel and, where necessary, joint military and police task force operatives to secure the Warri-Sapele corridor and institutional areas within Oghara. It also demanded a transparent investigation into recent killings and kidnappings and the extension of the Federal Government’s Safe Schools and Safe Campus initiatives to educational institutions in the kingdom.
The group urged the Delta State Government to strengthen police operational capacity in Oghara and Sapele through additional personnel, patrol vehicles and rapid-response equipment, while also integrating community vigilante groups into the state’s security framework with proper support and clear rules of engagement.
It further appealed to the Ethiope West Local Government Council to convene an emergency security summit involving the traditional institution, security agencies, vigilante groups and religious organisations, improve street lighting and communication infrastructure in vulnerable communities, and establish a functional security liaison desk for prompt reporting and follow-up of incidents.
The OSG also appealed to development partners, human rights organisations and the international community to support independent verification of the growing security crisis, while urging the media to engage directly with the group for verified information.
Concluding the briefing, the Oghara Study Group said its intervention was not intended to create panic but to draw urgent attention to the suffering of residents whose lives and livelihoods are increasingly threatened by relentless criminal attacks. It pledged its readiness to work with government, security agencies, development partners and the media to restore peace and lasting security to Oghara Kingdom.
