Omadino Supports Chevron’s Dismissal of Kokodiagbene’s Oil Field Claim

The implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, designed to promote transparency and strengthen community participation in Nigeria’s oil sector, has sparked disputes among neighboring communities with overlapping land claims.

In Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, the Omadino community has thrown its support behind Chevron Nigeria Limited, urging the company to proceed with the registration of a host community development trust despite objections from the Kokodiagbene community, which also lays claim to the oil-rich territory.

At the centre of the disagreement is the planned registration of the Abiteye, Makaraba, and Otunana Host Community Development Trust (AMU-HCDT). The trust is part of efforts to implement provisions of the PIA that require oil-producing areas to benefit directly from petroleum operations in their communities.

Last week, leaders from Kokodiagbene, a Gbaramatu Kingdom community also located in Warri South-West, sent a protest letter to Chevron. The letter accused the oil company of colluding with the Itsekiri ethnic group to register the Otunana field—referred to by Kokodiagbene as “Utulala”—under the trust, calling the move a “divide-and-rule tactic” and threatening to disrupt Chevron’s operations if the process continued.

Responding in a counter-letter dated June 19, Chairman of the Omadino Community Management Committee, Tuoyo Mogbeyiteren, described the Kokodiagbene protest as “misguided” and lacking in both legal and historical substance.

According to Mogbeyiteren, “Otunana has long been recognised as part of Omadino’s territory, as established in legal rulings and historical documents.” He cited a 1949 court judgment (Suit No. W/29/1949) and Chevron’s acquisition documents as evidence supporting Omadino’s claim. He also dismissed the name “Utulala” as fictional, saying it does not appear in any recognised records or Chevron’s documentation.

He noted that the AMU-HCDT was being constituted in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act and includes the recognised Itsekiri host communities of Bateren, Deghele, and Omadino.

Mogbeyiteren further condemned threats from Kokodiagbene leaders, urging Chevron not to be distracted and to continue with the registration process.

“Any group with legitimate claims should pursue redress through appropriate legal avenues and not through intimidation or threats of economic disruption,” the letter read.

The dispute has once again brought to the fore the complex nature of land and resource ownership in Nigeria’s oil-producing regions, and the challenges of implementing equitable community-based frameworks under the PIA.