– The Community Safety Vanguard has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for directing the timely intervention that prevented a potential ethnic crisis in the Niger Delta over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ward delineation exercise in Warri, Delta State.
In a statement issued on Thursday and made available to journalists by its National Coordinator, Comrade Abbas Johnson, the group hailed the “outstanding, pragmatic, and result-oriented leadership” of National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
According to the statement, Ribadu’s “gentle, unassuming, and honest approach to conflict resolution” was instrumental in facilitating a historic power-sharing agreement between the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities on the proposed Warri Federal Constituency II.
“The timely intervention, carried out under the direct directive of President Tinubu, has successfully averted what could have escalated into a devastating ethnic conflagration and a total breakdown of law and order in the Niger Delta,” the group said.
The agreement was reached at a high-level meeting chaired by Ribadu in Abuja. It was attended by representatives of the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic groups as well as senior government officials, including the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi.
Under the terms of the deal, the House of Representatives seat in the proposed Warri Federal Constituency II will rotate between the two ethnic nationalities. The Ijaw will occupy the seat for the first two consecutive terms, after which it will rotate to the Itsekiri for the next two terms.
“This balanced and forward-looking arrangement guarantees equity, fairness, and sustainable peace,” the statement noted.
The pact followed President Tinubu’s meeting with Delta stakeholders at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, June 11, 2026. At the meeting, the President directed two representatives from each of the three ethnic nationalities involved in the dispute to meet under Ribadu’s supervision to develop a mutually acceptable political framework.
The Community Safety Vanguard described the successful outcome as “a clear demonstration of the President’s commitment to peaceful resolution of conflicts and his well-placed confidence in the capacity of his National Security Adviser.”
Signatories to the agreement included former Delta State Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro and Dr. Eric Omare for the Ijaw nationality. Sir A.S. Mene and Chief Robinson Ariyo signed for the Itsekiri side. Ribadu endorsed the agreement on behalf of the Federal Government, while Olorogun Victor Okumagba and Chief Westham Adehor served as witnesses.
The group expressed deep admiration for Ribadu’s personal attributes, stating that his “pragmatic approach, gentle disposition, unassuming personality, and unwavering honesty” made the resolution possible.
“These rare qualities inspire trust, de-escalate tensions, and produce consensus even in highly combustible disputes. It is for these very reasons that President Tinubu entrusted Mallam Nuhu Ribadu with this delicate and high-stakes assignment, a decision that has delivered remarkable results for peace and stability,” the statement added.
In its conclusion, the Community Safety Vanguard emphasised that the mediation “did not merely prevent war” but amicably settled a dispute that could have undermined the relative peace enjoyed in the Niger Delta in recent years.
The intervention, it said, has reinforced public confidence in the Federal Government’s ability to manage complex ethnic and political tensions through dialogue and statesmanship rather than coercion.
The group saluted President Tinubu and Ribadu for what it described as “an exemplary demonstration of visionary leadership and conflict-resolution mastery,” while urging stakeholders across the Niger Delta and Nigeria to emulate the model and prioritise peace, inclusive governance, and national unity.
Signed:
Comrade Abbas Johnson
National Coordinator, Community Safety Vanguard