Fresh Oil Discovery Sparks Tension in Delta Community as Family Rejects Lease Deal

Tension has erupted in Okpe-Isoko community, Delta State, following the discovery of crude oil on land claimed by the Adhakpor family, which has rejected a purported lease agreement allegedly entered into with Sterling Global Limited without its authorisation.

The family accused some individuals of falsely claiming to represent its interests in negotiations over the oil-bearing land, insisting that they lacked the mandate to negotiate, execute or enter into any lease agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on its behalf.

In a statement, the Adhakpor family declared that it had neither authorised nor empowered any individual or group to enter into such an agreement with the company concerning its land.

It described the purported transaction as unauthorised and unacceptable, stressing that no individual could validly bind the family to any agreement without an express mandate.

The family said its duly constituted and elected executives, alongside other recognised representatives, had been empowered to handle negotiations, engagements and documentation relating to the land.

According to the statement, the authorised representatives emerged from a resolution reached at the family’s general meeting held on October 4, 2026.

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Consequently, the family directed that all negotiations, documentation, execution and implementation of any lease or related transaction involving its land must be conducted exclusively through its duly authorised representatives.

It also warned prospective investors and other stakeholders against dealing with individuals who lacked its express approval, insisting that any transaction undertaken outside the authority granted by the family would not be binding on it.

The family said its position was intended to promote transparency, accountability, proper representation, unity and peace, while protecting its rights and interests.

The dispute took another turn as the Adhakpor family alleged that a community leader, in collaboration with some residents, introduced individuals who were not members of the family into the negotiation committee.

It strongly opposed the development, maintaining that only recognised members of the family should participate in any committee negotiating or deliberating on matters affecting its interests.

Speaking with Sunday Vanguard, the Head of the Adhakpor family, Chief Ide Abade, alleged that he was arrested by the community leadership over his opposition to the purported lease agreement with Sterling Global Limited.

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Abade said the family had concluded plans to seek redress in court, arguing that non-members had no authority to negotiate or enter into agreements concerning the family’s land.

However, the President-General of Okpe-Isoko community, Chief Fred Efeh, offered a different account, insisting that the Adhakpor family was duly represented on the committee constituted to negotiate the lease agreement.

Efeh said the disagreement stemmed from a dispute between two branches, or “gates,” of the family over ownership of the land where the oil well was discovered.

“The Adhakpor family they are talking about has two gates. It is one of the gates that has come to complain,” he told Sunday Vanguard.

According to him, one branch maintained that its forefather had shared the land among his descendants, with the portion where the oil was discovered belonging exclusively to that branch.

“One of the gates said their father had shared that land. And the portion where the oil is, is solely their own,” Efeh said.

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He explained, however, that the other branch insisted that proceeds from the land, including palm trees and other natural resources, should benefit the entire Adhakpor family rather than one branch.

“The other one is saying, no, that the palm trees and all other natural resources that may come from there are supposed to be for all of them, not only one gate of the Adhakpor family,” he added.

Efeh said the company involved in the exploration approached the traditional institution and community leadership following the discovery, in line with established procedures.

He stated that he was present when the company visited the palace and the community, after which consultations were held and a negotiation committee comprising representatives of the two family branches was established.

“So when the oil exploration came, the company duly, as ought to be done, came to the palace and came to the community. I, as the president general, was present,” he said.

He added that negotiations commenced after the necessary consultations and that members of both branches were represented on the committee.

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“After fulfilling all normal ways of entering the land, we started negotiation. So the family, these two gates, we now formed a committee for negotiation, where the Adhakpor family people were truly represented,” Efeh stated.

The community leader said some representatives subsequently withdrew from the negotiation process, triggering the present controversy.

“As we were going along on the negotiation, they withdrew,” he said, attributing the disagreement to issues surrounding the composition of the committee.

Efeh’s account contrasts with the position of the Adhakpor family, which insists that the individuals involved lacked the authority to represent it or enter into any agreement concerning its land.

Meanwhile, efforts to obtain the reaction of the Community Relations Manager of Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO), Mr Rotimi Bakari, were unsuccessful.

Bakari reportedly declined to respond to the inquiries over the telephone, requesting instead that the correspondent visit his office in Warri, Delta State, for further discussions.

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Attempts to reach the traditional ruler of Okpe-Isoko, the Ovie of the community, were also unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to his telephone lines had not been answered or acknowledged as of press time.