Two cooperative societies in Delta State have alleged that they have endured more than 26 years of intimidation, recurring arrests, and unlawful interference in their sand-dredging operations along eleven beaches of the River Niger in Asaba.
In a detailed press statement issued by their President, Mr. Mbadiwe Ossai (also known as David Opene/Jah Dave), during a briefing at the NUJ Press Centre in Asaba, the Mbadiwe Ossai Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society and the Sand Dealers Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society said that their rights to operate on the beaches were validated by multiple Federal High Court judgments delivered in 2004 and 2005. These judgments, they noted, granted perpetual injunctions restraining any interference in their operations.
Despite holding writs of possession and several favourable court orders, the cooperatives allege that officials of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development—working in concert with certain officers of the Delta State Police Command—have continued to obstruct, invade, and disrupt their activities.
According to the cooperatives, their ordeal dates back to 1999 and includes a long history of arrests, detentions, and legal battles triggered by what they describe as repeated police actions following petitions from ministry officials. They claim that these confrontations led them to file numerous suits at the Federal High Court, with rulings consistently restraining security agencies and other parties from interfering.
Yet, they allege that these court orders were continually violated. The group recounts multiple arrests and even long-term detentions, including a prosecution that dragged on for seven years before their eventual acquittal in 2018.
The cooperatives say their appeals to the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, and other authorities resulted in additional directives favouring them—directives which they claim the Delta State Police Command repeatedly ignored.
They also referenced the 2024 Supreme Court judgment reaffirming the regulatory powers of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), stating that the ruling supports the earlier decisions that recognized their control over the beaches.
A major point of contention in their narrative is a series of incidents they allege occurred in late 2024. According to the statement, police units stormed multiple beaches, arrested workers, demolished structures, and seized property and cash. They further claim that their president, Mr. Ossai, was detained, paraded publicly, and subjected to dehumanizing treatment—actions they insist were in clear defiance of subsisting court orders.
They added that several criminal charges brought against them were later dismissed in court, with rulings reaffirming their rights to the disputed waterfront areas.
The statement also accused individuals linked to the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development—as well as certain Asaba-based stakeholders—of repeatedly instigating police action against them, leading to what they described as over sixty arrests between 1999 and 2025.
Additionally, the cooperatives allege that the Delta State Government has allocated parts of the Asaba waterfront—land they insist falls under their court-recognized possession—to private companies and political associates. They say they have filed fresh suits, including mandamus and contempt applications, to compel compliance with all existing judgments.
In their final appeal, the cooperatives called on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Inspector General of Police, the Minister of Police Affairs, and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission to intervene urgently.
Expressing a total loss of confidence in the Delta State Police Command, they requested that a neutral federal enforcement team be assigned to uphold the court orders. Declaring their intention to resume operations across all eleven beaches, they warned that any further attempts to obstruct them could result in confrontation.
They framed their struggle as part of a wider demand for justice, respect for the rule of law, and protection from what they describe as years of unchecked abuse of power.
