Warri – In a passionate plea for peace and justice, the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Jonathan Lokpobiri, has called on Ijaw youths to stop turning their weapons against one another, warning that no one benefits from internal violence.
Speaking at a community solidarity gathering in Warri, Delta State, Lokpobiri urged Ijaw people across Nigeria and beyond to remember their shared roots and protect one another, not harm each other. “Today, we have used our own instruments of violence against ourselves,” he said. “Nobody stands to gain in such an adventure.”
He reminded the gathering that many of those now seen as enemies were once friends and brothers, urging a return to the values of unity, brotherhood, and peaceful coexistence. “The IYC does not tolerate the killing of our own people. We must rise above our associations and remember we are Ijaw people first,” he stressed.
Lokpobiri also raised concerns about increasing insecurity in the region, noting that unknown armed groups, some of whom may not be Nigerians, are attacking rural communities, raping women, and kidnapping people. He emphasized the need for strategic and united resistance against these external threats instead of fighting each other.
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“We may one day have to bear arms to protect our land, but let it be with clear direction and purpose—not confusion that leads to hurting our own,” he said.
Turning to politics, the IYC leader accused powerful forces of pushing Ijaw communities out of key political positions in Delta State, especially within the Warri Federal Constituency. He expressed frustration that Ijaw people have never held positions such as local government chairman or representative in the National Assembly despite court rulings supporting their inclusion.
Referencing a 2022 Supreme Court judgment which called for the redrawing of political boundaries in the Warri area, Lokpobiri said the time has come for justice to be done.
“Our brothers in Itsekiri were given land freely by our ancestors. Today, political games are being played to silence us. But our eyes are open now,” he warned.
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He called for calm but firm resistance through legal and peaceful means, praising Ijaw leaders who have pursued justice in the courts rather than through violence. “We are no longer in the 1960s. This is 2025. We know our rights, and we will not allow ourselves to be suppressed anymore,” he said.
