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For nearly a decade, residents of Obogoro Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have watched helplessly as the Ekoli River steadily eats into their ancestral land, homes, farmlands and public infrastructure.

What was once a thriving riverside community is gradually being reduced by erosion, with residents saying more than 200 houses have already been swallowed by the river.

A community primary school, football field, National Youth Service Corps lodge and ancestral burial grounds are among facilities that residents say have been lost to the advancing river.

The latest heavy rainfall has heightened fears, as swollen waters continue to pound the riverbank, causing sections of land to collapse and forcing more families to abandon their homes.

Recent reports from the community indicate that the damages are no longer confined to properties close to the shoreline, with residents now worried about the survival of the remaining portion of the settlement.

For those still living in the community, the crisis has become a daily battle between remaining in their homes and fleeing before the next section of land collapses.

A tenant, Janet Eseoghene, said families who previously lived close to her had relocated because of the advancing river.

“Last year, the river was still a few metres away, but now it is at my doorstep.

“We need help. I have no other place to go. It is risky living here, and I fear for my children too. We are appealing to the relevant authorities to come and help us,” she said.

Another resident, Joel Itortaziba, said the sound of collapsing earth had become familiar to residents, particularly at night.

“I have been living in Obogoro for two years now. It is terrifying living in this community. Sometimes at night, you hear a hit, which indicates that some land has caved in into the river. We really need the help of the government.

“Just some months back, a child lost his life in the erosion. Government should please help this community,” Itortaziba said.

The President of the Epie-Atissa Peoples Congress, Obesi Benjamin, said the extent of the devastation could only be understood by comparing the present community with what existed several years ago.

“The entire river you are seeing here was actually our community. If you were here a few years ago, you would have seen that the community was where this river is right now.

“Today, the community is gradually disappearing. What we are seeing is just one quarter of the community that is left. People are dying. How can a full family, mother and children, be taken away by erosion?

“People who have homes are now homeless. Some houses are at the edge of the river, and they will slide into the river any moment. Over 200 houses have been submerged into the river.

“The state and federal governments and the NDDC need to visit Obogoro community. This place needs urgent attention,” Benjamin said.

Our correspondent gathered that in 2020, residents were already abandoning homes in Obogoro as erosion wreaked havoc. Reports at the time said the St. Paul Primary School and NYSC lodge were among structures damaged.

By 2021, residents were again displaced after landslides washed away parts of the community, including the NYSC lodge, primary school and football field.

A 2022 report by Al Jazeera also described Obogoro as a community where erosion had already taken a substantial portion of the people’s homeland.

Residents say successive appeals for intervention have not produced a permanent solution.

Convener of the Save Obogoro Community Now group, Ada Gwegwe, said the community had repeatedly drawn the attention of the state and federal governments to the worsening situation.

According to Gwegwe, the Bayelsa State Government awarded a contract to Niger Green Dredging Company for shoreline protection and related work at the erosion site, but she alleged that the project was abandoned.

“Millions of naira worth of property have been washed away into the river. I am using this opportunity to call on the Federal Government, the state government and the Niger Delta Development Commission to come to the aid of Obogoro community,” Gwegwe said.

It was said that the state government had awarded a canalisation and shoreline-protection project at Obogoro to Nigergreen Dredging International Limited in 2021. A 2023 investigation found that work had been interrupted, with residents calling for government intervention to revive the project.

A House of Representatives record on petitions concerning erosion around the Ikoli/Ekoli River documented claims that homes, schools, farmlands, the community square and other facilities had been destroyed and that the shoreline around the Goodluck Jonathan Bridge was also under threat.

Residents said they had also petitioned lawmakers in both the Senate and House of Representatives, seeking federal intervention.

They are now calling for a comprehensive shoreline protection and reclamation project rather than temporary measures, warning that failure to act appropriately could displace more families.

While residents continue to demand an engineering solution to the erosion, the Bayelsa State Government has also been carrying out a separate physical-planning enforcement exercise in the Obogoro area.

On September 15, 2026, the Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Board commenced the removal of structures it identified as illegal and obstructing Right of Way in the area.

The exercise, led by the Executive Chairman of the Board, Kuroakegha Dorgu, was described by the agency as part of the state’s urban renewal and infrastructural development programme.

According to the Board, the exercise was aimed at restoring order, protecting public infrastructure and preserving the Right of Way for present and future development.

The physical-planning exercise is separate from the shoreline erosion intervention being demanded by residents. While the planning authorities are addressing structures identified as encroaching on designated public spaces, residents are calling for an engineering solution to the advancing riverbank.

Residents who depended on farming have lost farmlands, while property owners have seen houses and rental properties disappear or become difficult to occupy.

They are asking the Bayelsa State Government, the Federal Government, NDDC, Ecological Project Office and other relevant agencies to urgently address the erosion.

They are also seeking assistance for families already displaced by the erosion.

Residents lamented that while homes, farms and community facilities have been destroyed, there has been no permanent accommodation or dedicated internally displaced persons’ camp for those forced to leave.

The crisis in Obogoro also raises broader questions about the vulnerability of riverine communities across Bayelsa State, where erosion, flooding and shoreline changes continue to threaten settlements and infrastructure.

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The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a 30-year-old man, Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel, over the alleged murder of his girlfriend following an argument concerning Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV.

The suspect was also accused of concealing the woman’s body inside the toilet of his apartment in Olympic Layout, One-Day, Enugu, after allegedly killing her.

The command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday.

According to Ndukwe, operatives attached to the Awkunanaw Division re-arrested Emmanuel at about 6:30pm on Monday after rescuing him from an angry mob that had apprehended him over the alleged killing.

The victim was identified by the police simply as Chinyere.

Body discovered by neighbours

Ndukwe said preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect allegedly killed Chinyere on September 19, wrapped her remains in nylon and locked them inside the toilet of his apartment.

The police said the decomposing body later began to emit an offensive odour, which attracted the attention of neighbours.

The neighbours reportedly forced the door open and apprehended Emmanuel before the arrival of police operatives.

The victim’s remains were subsequently evacuated to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while the police said efforts were ongoing to trace and notify her relatives.

Suspect allegedly confesses

The police spokesman said preliminary interrogation indicated that Emmanuel confessed to the alleged crime.

According to Ndukwe, the suspect told investigators that the incident followed an argument with his girlfriend over allegations concerning who infected the other with HIV.

The suspect allegedly stated that the argument escalated before he struck Chinyere on the head with a pestle, resulting in her death.

He allegedly subsequently wrapped her remains and dumped them inside the toilet of his apartment, where they were later discovered by neighbours.

The police said further investigation would be required to establish the full circumstances surrounding the woman’s death and verify the suspect’s account.

The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has directed the State Criminal Investigation Department to conduct a discreet and thorough investigation into the case.

Giwa also ordered that the suspect be arraigned in court after the conclusion of investigations and the establishment of the facts of the case.

The police said investigators would continue efforts to trace the victim’s relatives and establish all relevant circumstances surrounding the alleged murder.

The Commissioner also cautioned members of the public, particularly young women, to exercise caution about whom they visit or spend time with.

He urged them to ensure that trusted relatives or friends are informed of their movements as part of measures to enhance personal safety.

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Gunmen reportedly ambushed security operatives attached to Operation Rainbow, a state security outfit in Plateau State, in Bariki Ladi Local Government Area of the state, on Tuesday, killing a policeman.

Three civilians were also reportedly killed in a separate incident at Rakok, also in Barkin Ladi LGA.

The security operatives were reportedly attacked along the Gagshi Road in the local government area.

The two incidents, according to separate sources, brought the reported death toll to four, amid renewed attacks in parts of Barkin Ladi, where the government imposed dusk to dawn curfew, on Monday.

A security operative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the attack, saying, “We just experienced an ambush in which a security personnel attached to Operation Rainbow was killed.”

He added that the sad incident occurred around 4pm.

President of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association, BYM, Barr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, who confirmed the reported ambush, said he narrowly escaped being caught up in the incident.

He described the latest development as an indication that the security situation in the state was taking a “bigger dimension.”

Mwantiri said the attacks were no longer confined to the night, adding that incidents are now occurring in broad daylight.

He said, “I would have also been involved in that incident if not that God, out of His mercy, saved me.”

He said, “This security challenge has entered another level. This thing is taking a bigger dimension.This will not be night attack again. This will not be even during daytime.”

He urged security personnel and other relevant authorities not to relent in their efforts to protect lives and property and restore peace to affected communities.”

Meanwhile, a community leader, Mr Lawrence Gyang, said three persons were killed at Rakok, also known as Kafi Abu, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area on Tuesday.

Gyang alleged that one person and two unidentified women were killed in broad daylight, while attending the funeral of two persons, who were also allegedly killed the previous day, while travelling to Gashish District.

According to him, the victims were among mourners who had gathered for the funeral when the incident occurred.

Our correspondent reports that despite the curfew, tensions continue to increase in Barkin Ladi and adjoining communities, following a series of attacks in parts of the LGA areas in recent days.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Alabo Alfred, had not responded to inquiries from our correspondent as of the time of this report.