(DDM) – Panic spread across Warri, Delta State, on Thursday, September 18, 2025, after a local vigilante identified as Dele Ogunbayo was shot dead in the Pessu area during a midnight attack reportedly carried out by masked men in military-style uniforms.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the assailants stormed the community at about 1:00 a.m., chased down Ogunbayo, and fatally shot him outside his residence.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the attackers later wrapped his body in a tarpaulin, carried it away, and fired gunshots into the air across nearby Ajamimogha and Ekurede communities, leaving residents in fear.
The killing immediately sparked outrage among Itsekiri youths, who accused unknown armed groups of targeting community guards under suspicious circumstances. They demanded an urgent investigation by security agencies into the incident.
The Ugbarajo Itsekiri Youth Council (IYC), backed by Ijaw neighbours in the volatile Warri axis, warned against what they described as the “creeping emergence of private armies” in the Niger Delta.
Community leaders specifically raised concerns about alleged paramilitary activities linked to oil security contractors such as Tantita Security Services, although no direct evidence has yet implicated the firm.
Residents told DDM that the attackers’ military-style uniforms and coordinated movements created the impression of either security operatives or highly trained mercenaries, raising fresh fears about who controls arms in the oil-rich region.
So far, neither the Nigerian Army, the police, nor the Delta State government has issued an official statement on the killing. The silence has further heightened suspicions and fueled tension in the oil city.
Youth leaders vowed that the death of Ogunbayo would not be swept under the carpet, stressing that his role as a vigilante was to keep the community safe from crime, not to be hunted down by unidentified armed groups.
The vigilante’s killing comes against the backdrop of increasing clashes between local security outfits, oil surveillance contractors, and suspected criminal elements in the Niger Delta, where control of waterways and oil installations has often triggered violent confrontations.
Warri, historically a flashpoint of ethnic rivalries between Itsekiris, Ijaws, and Urhobos, has witnessed recurring bouts of unrest tied to resource control, militancy, and political interference.
Observers note that the brazen nature of the attack suggests a deeper power struggle over security control in the city, with vigilantes, youths, and state-backed contractors often crossing paths.
DDM learned that residents have now mounted pressure on the police to recover Ogunbayo’s remains and identify those responsible for his killing.
The community warned that failure to bring the perpetrators to justice could lead to self-help measures, further destabilizing the fragile peace in Warri.
As of Thursday afternoon, the streets of Pessu, Ajamimogha, and Ekurede remained tense, with residents keeping indoors for fear of reprisals.
Human rights groups in Delta have also begun calling for an independent probe, insisting that the Federal Government cannot ignore a murder carried out under the guise of military presence.
For the Itsekiri people, Ogunbayo’s death is more than a personal tragedy, it is a flashpoint that could reignite wider ethnic and security tensions in the Niger Delta.
