Editor’s note: On Friday, 18 September 2026, an NDC rally in Uvwie Local Government Area turned violent around PTI Junction and Airport Road, Effurun. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo accused NDC supporters of looting shops and destroying APC billboards (TVC News). The NDC said its campaign was attacked by thugs sponsored by the Delta State Government. Police said an AK-47 was recovered during the unrest and that investigations are ongoing (The Trumpet), and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori ordered a probe (Channels TV). Read our report on the incident. The article below is an opinion piece.
By a Uvwie stakeholder
I write to every son and daughter of Uvwie, because what happened in our community on Friday was not a random clash, and we should not treat it as one.
Anyone who watches the video closely will see what I saw: an attack that looks planned, aimed at destroying businesses and property, with the blame then shifted onto others.
Consider how it unfolded. The way the group appeared, the way the road was blocked, and the speed with which the Delta State Government was accused in public all point, in my view, to a plot organised before it was carried out. Uvwie’s people were the target, and Uvwie’s peace was the price.
So let us ask the honest questions.
Can anyone seriously argue that a crowd like this would gather on its own, without someone organising and paying for it?
And how, before the dust had settled and before the police could establish who those men were, was the claim that the state government sponsored thugs already everywhere, as if it had been prepared in advance and was only waiting for the cameras?
I am not asking anyone to take my word for it. I am asking for what every reasonable person should demand: let the video be forensically examined, let those who brought these men into Uvwie be identified, and let whoever organised and financed this assault on our peace answer to the law, whichever party they belong to.
This matters because when plots like this succeed, the masterminds walk away untouched. The rest of us who live here are left with the consequences: fear on our streets, suspicion between neighbours, and the good name of Uvwie dragged across social media.
Let it be clearly stated: the people of Uvwie are the victims here. We are not pawns in anybody’s political contest, and we refuse to be used as such. I call on the NDC, and on every party, to restrain its supporters and campaign peacefully and lawfully.
Uvwie must remain peaceful. Uvwie must remain united.
