A fresh dispute over land, security operations and alleged attacks on communities in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State has escalated, with the Udekama Council of Chiefs appealing to the Federal Government to intervene, while the Amanyanabo of Elem Kalabari, Alhaji Dokubo Asari, has rejected the allegations against him and his Royal Fouche Security Services.
The Udekama Council of Chiefs made the appeal at a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Port Harcourt on Monday, alleging that personnel of the Royal Fouche Security Services, popularly known as “Amama Soldiers,” had subjected members of their communities to attacks and intimidation.
Speaking on behalf of the Council, Chief Rufus Abadi alleged that the security outfit was responsible for an attack during the burial of late Madam Rhoda Hezekiah Nathan on February 23, 2024, in which several people were allegedly shot.
According to Abadi, those affected included two serving security personnel — Ohosuo Esau of the Nigerian Army and Warmate Prayer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) — as well as Augustine Akubo, a final-year student of the University of Port Harcourt.
He alleged that the bodies of some of those reportedly killed had yet to be recovered.
The Council claimed that it had previously brought the matter to the attention of the Federal Government, security agencies and the Degema Local Government authorities but expressed frustration over what it described as the absence of adequate action.
It said the latest appeal was intended to draw wider public attention to the alleged security situation confronting the affected communities.
The Udekama chiefs also sought to clarify what they described as misconceptions surrounding the **land ownership dispute involving Udekama, Degema and Kalabari interests.
Abadi maintained that aspects of the dispute had already been determined through judicial processes, while alleging that there had been a fresh attempt to encroach on the disputed land.
The Council specifically alleged that persons from Obuama, allegedly accompanied by Amama Soldiers, entered the area on August 26, 2026, to commence construction activities.
It called on the Federal Government to protect the community and its land from what it described as the excesses of the Amanyanabo and the security outfit.
The chiefs also raised concerns over what they described as indiscriminate shooting during the **Traditional Town Cleansing Festival**, an event marking the New Year in the Degema cultural calendar. They rejected claims that the festival was being used deliberately to block access roads into Degema.
Palace rejects allegations
Responding through his spokesman and Chief Press Secretary, Alabo Daerefa-a Braide, the Amanyanabo of Elem Kalabari dismissed the allegations against the monarch and Royal Fouche Security Services, describing them as inaccurate and inflammatory.
Braide said the allegations did not represent the position of the Amanyanabo and did not accurately reflect the character, operations or mandate of Royal Fouche Security Services, describing Dokubo Asari as a traditional ruler who had consistently advocated peace, security, development and peaceful coexistence among communities and ethnic nationalities in Rivers State and Nigeria.
The palace spokesman also rejected descriptions of Royal Fouche as an “occupation army” or “terror squad,” arguing that the security organisation was a professional outfit established to provide security and protection services within the law.
He said there was no established judicial or law-enforcement finding supporting allegations that the organisation was being used for territorial expansion.
Braide further denied that the Amanyanabo authorised Royal Fouche personnel to seize land, attack communities or interfere with the lawful functions of the Nigeria Police Force or other statutory security agencies.
He urged those making allegations of criminal conduct to submit evidence to the appropriate law-enforcement authorities for investigation rather than determine guilt through press conferences or social media.
The palace also highlighted Royal Fouche’s reported security operations along the Emohua/Kalabari Road and surrounding waterways, saying the organisation had contributed to improving security along a route previously associated with criminal activities.
According to Braide, the security arrangement had helped create safer movement for motorists, residents, traders and other road users, with benefits extending beyond Kalabari communities.
The opposing positions have brought the long-running tensions over land, traditional authority, community security and access in parts of Degema into renewed public focus.
While the Udekama Council is demanding federal intervention and protection, the Dokubo palace insists that the allegations against the monarch and his security outfit are unsubstantiated and should be subjected to proper investigation by the competent authorities.
With both sides maintaining sharply different accounts of events, the controversy now places greater emphasis on the need for credible investigation, protection of lives and property, respect for judicial processes and peaceful resolution of the underlying land and community disputes.
