Peaceful protesters from the Ubarajo Itsekiri Youths (UIY) were attacked while demonstrating against a contentious ward delineation proposal by the Independent National Electoral Commission in Warri, triggering a furious response from the Itsekiri Grassroot Coalition (IGC) and the broader Itsekiri Nation.
The attack on the youths, who had gathered to protest what their community describes as a deliberate attempt to diminish Itsekiri political representation in the Warri Federal Constituency, has sharpened an already volatile standoff between the Itsekiri people and Nigeria’s electoral umpire.
The coalition is now demanding a public apology from INEC and an independent investigation into the assault and all surrounding allegations.
“We are deeply disturbed by the attack on peaceful Itsekiri youths who exercised their democratic right to protest against this injustice,” the coalition’s National Coordinator, Prince Collins Oritsetimeyin Edema, said in a statement. “No citizen should be intimidated, harassed, or assaulted for demanding fairness and equity in a democratic society.”
Beyond the violence against protesters, the IGC has formally rejected INEC’s proposed ward boundary exercise, describing it as a calculated erosion of the Itsekiri people’s historical rights and constitutional representation in one of Nigeria’s most economically vital constituencies, a region whose oil and gas resources have long sustained the national economy.
The coalition is demanding the immediate withdrawal of the proposed ward boundaries, a fresh and inclusive delineation process involving all critical stakeholders, a public apology from INEC for the attack on protesters, and a full independent investigation into the incident.
It is also calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly, civil society organizations, traditional institutions, and democracy advocates to intervene urgently before tensions escalate further.
“No democratic society can thrive where the voices of indigenous peoples are ignored or suppressed,” the statement declared. “The Itsekiri people will remain united, vigilant, and steadfast in the defense of their homeland, heritage, and identity.”
The coalition said it would pursue its demands strictly through lawful democratic actions, civic engagement, advocacy, and constitutional means, but made clear that the Itsekiri Nation would not yield on its demand for fairness, justice, equity, and respect for its ancestral identity.