June 1, 2026
By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio, Yenagoa
Hundreds of Ijaw youths on Monday thronged the premises of the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, in solidarity with a legal action seeking resource control and the creation of additional local government areas for the state.
The youths, dressed in white apparel and chanting solidarity songs, gathered outside the courtroom as hearing commenced in suits filed by the Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA), an Ijaw rights group. Court officials confined the protesters to a building outside the courtroom to maintain decorum and ensure proceedings were not disrupted.
The suits, marked FHC/YNG/CS/63/2026 and FHC/YNG/CS/64/2026, seek the creation of 25 additional local government areas for Bayelsa State and greater control of natural resources by oil-producing states.
