The Supreme Egbesu Assembly has intensified its agitation for greater equity and resource justice in the Niger Delta, announcing that it has instituted legal action against the Federal Government of Nigeria over three major issues affecting Bayelsa State and the Ijaw nation.
The group said the suit challenges the alleged refusal to create additional local government areas for Bayelsa State, the ownership and control of crude oil and gas resources, and Nigeria’s involvement in the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) project.
In a statement signed by Dr. Felix Tuodolo for the Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA), the organization argued that the planned export of gas from the Niger Delta to Europe through Morocco does not sufficiently address the economic and environmental concerns of oil-producing communities in the region.
According to the statement, the project could create employment opportunities and economic benefits outside Nigeria while communities in the Niger Delta continue to battle unemployment, environmental degradation and inadequate infrastructure.
“The Nigerian Government cannot continue to take Ijaws for a ride by planning to pipe our gas to Europe via Morocco. A venture that aims to create massive employment opportunities in Morocco while Ijaw land suffers unemployment, darkness and environmental perils. We deserve better,” the statement read.
SEA disclosed that the cases relating to the demand for 24 local government areas for Bayelsa State and resource control came up for hearing at the Federal High Court in Yenagoa on April 21, 2026.
However, the group stated that the Federal Government did not appear in court on the scheduled date, leading to an adjournment of the matter to June 1, 2026. The organization further noted that the Federal Government is now expected to appear before the court when proceedings resume.
SEA has therefore called on Ijaw people and other supporters of the Niger Delta cause to attend the court sitting in large numbers as a show of solidarity. “We would like to appeal to all Ijaws and friends of Ijaw Nation to turn up en masse at the Federal High Court in Yenagoa on June 1, 2026 in solidarity. It is our battle,” the statement added.
The organization also appealed to Ijaw and Niger Delta socio-cultural groups to join the legal action, while urging Ijaw legal practitioners to support the cases.
The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project is a proposed transnational pipeline initiative aimed at transporting Nigerian gas through several West African countries to Morocco and eventually Europe. The project has generated debates over its economic implications and benefits to host communities in the Niger Delta region.