Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Scores of youths from the agrarian community of Ugboba in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State blocked the main entrance road to their village on Wednesday, staging a peaceful but determined protest against what they described as three years of unchecked environmental destruction by a coal mining firm. The protesters, many of whom carried placards, accused Mosra Energy Limited of operating without a valid Environmental Impact Assessment and of sidelining the community through a secretive and possibly non-existent Memorandum of Understanding. The demonstration brought traffic to a standstill along the Ukwu-Nzu-Ugboba corridor, a major access route in the area.
The protesters said their action was triggered by years of mounting frustration, as coal mining operations have allegedly turned their farmlands into wastelands, polluted their rivers, and triggered a devastating landslide that rendered essential roads impassable. In videos obtained by reporters, the youths were seen chanting solidarity songs and demanding the immediate removal of the community’s President General, Mr. Ikose Nnabuife, whom they accused of holding office for nearly two decades amid a cloud of corruption and poor leadership. Some protesters called for the release of the Memorandum of Understanding between the community and the mining company, insisting that the terms of the agreement had been kept secret for too long.
The demonstrators carried placards bearing messages such as “End Coal Community Lies,” “Ugboba Youths Demand: Show us the MoU,” “No Transparency, No Trust! Our Land, Our Right, Our Future!” and “Immediate Removal of Our President General Now!”. A youth leader who addressed the crowd accused the government and the mining firm of neglecting the welfare of residents and destroying their primary source of livelihood. “For three years now, coal mining is going on in our community with attendant environmental degradation. Our farmlands have been destroyed and we didn’t have MoU with the mining company,” he said.
The protest comes just months after a landslide struck the same community in October 2025, destroying farmlands, polluting water sources and burying large sections of the Ukwu-Nzu–Ugboba road. At the time, residents attributed the disaster to illegal mining by Mosra Energy, and community leaders called for an immediate halt to operations. The federal government has not announced any sanctions against the firm.
Residents say the environmental toll has erased their agricultural livelihoods. One protester told reporters that before mining started, the people of Ugboba harvested yams and cassava in commercial quantities; now, they say, the soil is too degraded to support healthy crops, and many families have abandoned their ancestral farms.
The protest also implicated the traditional ruler, Obi Ezedimbu Nkebakwu, who residents accused of colluding with the mining company to silence opposition. Some demonstrators in the video chanted slogans against the monarch, demanding that he appear before the community and explain his role in the alleged cover-up. “We are peaceful, but we will not be silenced any longer,” one resident said.
This week’s protest is the latest in a series of confrontations that have pitted the Ugboba community against Mosra Energy and security forces since mining began in 2023. In February 2026, residents alleged that soldiers deployed to provide security for the company had beaten and intimidated young men who tried to demand transparency. A community member was quoted as saying: “They are using soldiers to harass our boys. … We are not against development, but our youths should not be treated like criminals in their own land.”
Activists say those who have protested the mining operations have faced severe reprisals. In August 2025, an Abuja‑based businessman, Anthony Ugochukwu Anamonye, staged a solo protest at the Defence Headquarters and the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, carrying placards that read: “Mostra Energy LTD is destroying Ugboba Community with the aid of our King” and “Who deployed Army to my community? Send the soldiers back to barracks now.” In September 2025, Anamonye alleged he was unlawfully arrested and detained by the Divisional Police Officer of Onicha-Olona Police Division at the instigation of the traditional ruler, after repeatedly protesting the mining activities.
The protesters on Wednesday made it clear that the blockade would continue until their demands were met. They insisted on the release of the MoU, the resignation of the community’s President General, and a transparent audit of how the community leadership has managed mining-related revenues. One placard read: “If our demands are not met, this protest will continue.”
Delta State Government officials did not immediately comment on the protest. However, the state has previously taken action against illegal mining in other parts of the state. In March 2025, Delta declared several illegal miners wanted over unauthorised mining along the Ogbolu corridor. A government spokesperson at the time said such activities pose serious environmental hazards and violate existing mining regulations.
Motorists plying the Ukwu-Nzu-Ugboba road remained stuck for several hours as the youths held their ground, singing and dancing in a display of unity. Some passers‑by joined the protest, swelling the crowd into the hundreds. The demonstration ended peacefully with the youths vowing to return if the government and the mining company do not respond positively.
The standoff at Ugboba is not merely a local dispute. It reflects a pattern of resource-driven environmental conflict that extends across the Niger Delta, where communities that host extractive industries often say they are left with polluted land, poisoned water and no accountability. For the people of Ugboba, the question is whether their land and water will be restored before it is too late. The blocked highway is their cry for help; so far, the only response has been silence.
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