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

Tension has erupted in Okpe-Isoko community, Delta State, following a reported crude oil discovery 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 dispute centres on who has the authority to negotiate the use of the oil-bearing land and whether any agreement reached with the company can bind the family.

In a statement, the Adhakpor family said it had neither authorised nor mandated any individual or group to negotiate, sign or execute a lease agreement, memorandum of understanding (MoU) or related document with Sterling Global Limited concerning its land.

The family described the purported transaction as unauthorised and unacceptable, insisting that no person could validly commit its interests without an express mandate.

It said its duly constituted executives and recognised representatives had been empowered to handle negotiations and documentation relating to the land following a resolution reached at its general meeting on October 4, 2026.

The family consequently directed that all negotiations and transactions involving the property should be conducted exclusively through its authorised representatives.

It also warned prospective investors and other stakeholders against dealing with individuals who lacked its approval, arguing that agreements entered into without proper authorisation should not be treated as binding on the family.

The controversy has exposed a deeper disagreement over land ownership and the distribution of benefits arising from the crude oil discovery in Delta State.

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Chief Ide Abade, head of the Adhakpor family, told Sunday Vanguard that he had been arrested by the community leadership over his opposition to the purported lease agreement.

Abade said the family was preparing to seek judicial intervention, maintaining that people who were not authorised members or representatives of the family had no right to negotiate or enter into agreements concerning its land.

The family also alleged that a community leader, working with some residents, had introduced people who were not members of the family into the negotiation committee. It objected to their participation, insisting that only recognised family members should be involved in decisions affecting its interests.

However, the President-General of Okpe-Isoko community, Chief Fred Efeh, offered a different account of the negotiations.

Efeh maintained that the Adhakpor family was represented on the committee established to negotiate the proposed lease and said the disagreement stemmed from a dispute between two branches of the family over ownership of the land where the oil was discovered.

According to him, one branch claims that an ancestor divided the land among his descendants and that the portion containing the oil belongs exclusively to it.

The other branch, he explained, argues that proceeds from the property, including benefits from palm trees and other natural resources, should be shared among the wider Adhakpor family.

Efeh said the company involved in the exploration approached the community leadership and the traditional institution before negotiations began.

He explained that representatives of both branches were included in a negotiation committee after consultations, but some representatives subsequently withdrew, triggering the current disagreement.

His account contradicts the position of the Adhakpor family, which insists that those involved in the purported agreement lacked the authority to represent it.

The dispute therefore involves two related but distinct questions: who owns or controls the oil-bearing land, and who has the authority to negotiate a lease or other arrangement on behalf of the people claiming ownership.

The involvement of an oil company has heightened the stakes because any eventual development could have significant financial implications for the landowners and the wider community. However, the commercial terms of the purported agreement and the precise arrangements for sharing any proceeds have not been established publicly.

Efforts to obtain the reaction of Rotimi Bakari, Community Relations Manager of Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO), were unsuccessful. Bakari reportedly declined to respond to questions over the telephone and requested that the correspondent visit his office in Warri for further discussions.

Attempts to reach the traditional ruler of Okpe-Isoko, the Ovie of the community, also proved unsuccessful as calls and messages were not answered by the time of reporting.

The family has threatened legal action, while the community leadership maintains that the negotiation process followed established procedures.

The dispute now places the focus on land ownership, community representation and transparency in oil exploration agreements in the Niger Delta, where access to petroleum resources can generate competing claims over land rights and economic benefits.

A resolution will require the parties to establish the ownership arrangements, verify the authority of those who participated in negotiations and clarify whether any agreement was validly executed.

Until the disagreement is resolved, the controversy surrounding the purported lease threatens to prolong tensions within the community and complicate efforts to reach an acceptable arrangement over the oil-bearing property.