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By Divine Ugwueze and Oluwaseun Popoola
Members of the Tobin Chieftaincy Family in Bonny, Rivers State, have called on the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to urgently intervene and prevent a looming communal clash in the community.
The call followed a lingering disagreement between the Tobin Chieftaincy Family, led by Elder Darlington Tobin, and the Brown Chieftaincy Family, led by Dagogo Lambert Brown, over the performance of cultural rites in Bonny Kingdom.
The Tobin family, in a petition to the IGP, also condemned the arrest of its leader, Elder Darlington Adango Tobin, despite what it described as an orchestrated attack on its compound on August 22, 2026, while members of the family were preparing for their annual cultural rite.
The family accused the local police division in the area of allowing itself to be used in the attack on its compound on the day it was scheduled to perform its cultural rite.
It further alleged that the Brown family had threatened to prevent the Tobin Chieftaincy House from participating in the annual cultural rites in Bonny Island.
According to the Tobin family, the Eremini and Fongu Mini Festival commenced on August 1, 2026, and is scheduled to end on September 30, 2026, with participants and hosts drawn from different parts of Bonny Kingdom.
The family said while the Brown House had August 28, 2026, as the date scheduled for its performance, the Tobin House was scheduled to perform its Eremini and Fongu Mini outing on August 22.
The petition stated: “But to our dismay, threats and rumours began flying around that the Brown House was planning to attack the Tobin House and prevent them from performing the Eremini.
“These threats and concerns got to the Chairman of the Bonny Area Council, who invited both parties for a briefing.”
The Tobin family said the council chairman, in the presence of security operatives, admonished both parties and emphasised that he had neither the legal basis nor authority to stop the Tobin Chieftaincy House, Owu-Ogbo, from participating in the ongoing Eremini and Fongu Mini Festival.
It added that, despite the alleged threats by Engr. Dagogo Lambert Brown and his faction of the Brown House, the Bonny Chiefs’ Council, described as the highest custodian of Ibani native law, custom and tradition applicable to the Finima community of Bonny Kingdom, had intervened in the matter.
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According to the family, the Bonny Chiefs’ Council issued a press statement on August 17, 2026, in which it stated unequivocally that the Tobin Chieftaincy House was one of the 34 recognised Chieftaincy Houses in Bonny Kingdom.
The statement, as quoted by the Tobin family, read: “For the avoidance of doubt, Tobin Chieftaincy House is one of the 34 recognised Chieftaincy Houses in Bonny Kingdom.
“By virtue of its status as one of the Houses that constitute Bonny Kingdom, Tobin Chieftaincy House has the legitimate right to observe, preserve and perform its established cultural and traditional festival, including the Eremini and Fongu Mini Festivals and its Masquerade Display, in accordance with the customs, culture and tradition of Bonny Kingdom.”
The Tobin family, however, expressed concern that despite the intervention of the IG Monitoring Team at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, its compound was still attacked, leaving several members injured and properties destroyed on the day the family was billed to perform.
The family alleged that it had taken extensive measures to ensure that the festival was conducted peacefully, including formally inviting the police, Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to provide security.
It also said it provided logistics to facilitate the presence of the security agencies at the event.
The petition stated: “Shockingly and to the greatest disappointment of all times, the Tobin House, which had prepared to perform and display today, 22/8/2026, and had also gone the extra mile to write to the Police, DSS and NSCDC to be on ground for the security of lives and property and to ensure that the cultural festival was carried out in a peaceful atmosphere, and even provided logistics for the presence of these security agencies of the government, came under attack by members of the Dagogo Lambert Brown-led faction of the Brown House in the early hours of between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2026, the day scheduled for their Eremini outing.
“Several members of the Tobin House, including the Chairman, Wariopusenibo Darlington Tobin, and Wariopusenibo Golden Tobin, suffered various degrees of injuries and wounds, while their properties were also damaged.”
The family further raised concerns over the conduct of the Divisional Police Officer of Finima Divisional Police Station, CSP Mukhtar Mahdi, accusing him of failing to act professionally in the handling of the dispute.
“We are also further concerned about the unprofessional conduct of CSP Mukhtar Mahdi, the DPO of the Finima Divisional Police Station, who has, in all events, actions or inactions, acted contrary to his oath of office,” the family alleged.
The Tobin Chieftaincy Family therefore urged the Inspector-General of Police to urgently wade into the matter, investigate the alleged attack and arrest of its members, and take steps to prevent further escalation of the dispute into a communal clash in Bonny Kingdom.
The family said it was particularly concerned that failure to address the situation promptly could further heighten tension between the two chieftaincy houses and threaten peace and security in the community.
