Tension heightened in Warri, Delta State on Saturday, September 27, 2025, after suspected Itsekiri youths allegedly shot and killed Mr. Jerry Aduara, a member of the Warri South Local Government Council Peace Committee.
Aduara, an Urhobo from Warri, reportedly lost his life while trying to mediate during a violent confrontation between Urhobo and Itsekiri youths in Iyara.
High Chief Onoriode Okoh, the Oletu of Okere Urhobo Kingdom and the kingdom’s third-ranking traditional chief, who was on the ground when the incident occurred, narrated that the crisis was triggered during traditional rites by the Urhobo people of Odion community.
According to him, Odion community, the ancestral home of Dr. Morris Eyekpimi-Egboboyen, the Orosuen of Okere Urhobo Kingdom, had secured formal approval from the police and the Warri South Peace Committee before embarking on the religious activities.
Read also:
- INEC suspends ward delineation in Warri Constituency after Supreme Court order sparks protest
- Oborevwori calls for peace in Warri, warns against social media hate campaigns
- Activist urges swift action to prevent ethnic crisis in Warri
“Fifteen representatives each from both Urhobo and Itsekiri sides, with police officers present, inspected the shrine and agreed that the rituals would not disturb public peace,” Chief Okoh explained.
He revealed that a day before the fatal clash, Itsekiri youths invaded the Urhobo shrine and forcefully carted away ritual items to Edukuwho Street.
Despite this, the Odion Urhobo community went ahead with their worship under police protection.
Trouble escalated when Itsekiri youths again attempted to halt the rites.
Amid the confrontation, Aduara,who was a two-time chairman of the Odion Urhobo Youth Council, stepped forward, urging both parties to sheath their swords.
He was fatally shot while making peace appeals.
Chief Okoh condemned the killing, declaring that the incident showed the Warri South Peace Committee had “outlived its usefulness.”
He called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to launch a full-scale investigation and ensure the perpetrators face justice.
Until his death, Aduara lived in the Otovwodo (Agbassa) community.
The Warri South Council Chairman, Isaac Agbateyiniro, and the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, were yet to issue official statements as at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up across Warri.
Police officers and civil defense personnel have mounted roadblocks, conducting stop-and-search operations to avert a further breakdown of law and order.
