Warri Peace Committee Inaugurated As Delta Govt Seeks To End Hostilities

The Delta State Government has inaugurated a peace committee to restore lasting harmony in Warri and its environs following recent inter-ethnic hostilities in the oil-rich city.

The committee, comprising representatives of the Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo ethnic nationalities, was inaugurated by the Director-General of Security, Hon. David Tonwe, at the Government House Annex in Warri.

Hon. Tonwe, who outlined the committee’s terms of reference, tasked members to engage their respective ethnic groups on the need to embrace peace, shun provocative actions, unguided statements, and inflammatory social media posts capable of fueling further crisis.

He noted that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had mandated him and his team to broker peace in the troubled areas, stressing that no meaningful development could thrive in a climate of rancor and disunity.

“The problem before us is one of ethnic identity. It is your duty to ensure that the recent outbreak of hostilities becomes a thing of the past. Warri must move from conflict to peace and development,” Tonwe charged.

Chairman of the Inland and Waterways Committee, Chief Boro Pudu, emphasized that no effort should be spared in ensuring that lasting peace is restored in Warri.

Similarly, Chairman of Warri South Local Government Council, Comrade Isaac Agbateyiniro, and his Warri South West counterpart, Hon. Sylvester Oromoni, commended Governor Oborevwori for his timely intervention, noting that the measures would forestall the crisis from snowballing into a larger conflict. Both pledged their full support to the committee’s work.

Representatives of the three major ethnic groups, Chief Sylvester Okumagba (Urhobo), Hon. Orueboh Oritsetimeyin (Itsekiri), and Hon. Denbo-Denbofa Oweikpodor (Ijaw), pledged to collaborate with government and other stakeholders to restore peace to Warri.

They also appealed to individuals fanning the embers of division and violence to embrace dialogue and reconciliation for the good of the entire area.