Dare Babalola
A former member of the House of Representatives, Daniel Reyenieju, has condemned Senator Ede Dafinone’s remarks on the recent violent clash between Itsekiri and Urhobo youths in Warri, Delta State.
Reyenieju described Dafinone’s comments as “reckless, divisive, and unbecoming of a legislator.”
Earlier, Dafinone denounced the violence and appealed for calm, urging all parties to seek a peaceful resolution.
He further stated that “an attack on the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) House at Okere-Urhobo is, by extension, an attack on the entire Urhobo Nation.”
“In maintaining peace and security, it is important that security agencies remain neutral, fair, and proactive, in order to prevent escalation. The Urhobos of Warri, like all citizens, deserve protection from the Nigerian state,” Dafinone said.
Reacting to Dafinone’s remarks, which drew criticism from some members of the Itsekiri community, Reyenieju, who is a former House of Representatives member for Warri Federal Constituency, in a statement he signed, described the senator’s comments as reckless, divisive, and unbecoming of a legislator.
He said, “My attention has been drawn to a statement credited to Senator Ede Dafinone, in which he chose to lament damage to the UPU House in Warri, while failing to acknowledge, with the same weight, the actual violence and injuries inflicted by rampaging Urhobo youths in Agbassa.
“To be clear, I condemn all forms of violence and destruction. However, it is troubling and indeed infuriating that Senator Dafinone elevates damage to a building above the lives and safety of people who suffered attacks. Are we now to conclude that structures matter more than human lives?
“More dangerously, the Senator’s comment that ‘an attack on the UPU House is, by extension, an attack on the entire Urhobo Nation’ is reckless, divisive, and unbecoming of a legislator.
“Such a statement amounts to ethnic incitement. The UPU is an important socio-cultural organization, yes but it does not embody or equate to the collective destiny of Warri Federal Constituency or Delta State. To frame an incident in such catastrophic ethnic terms is to deliberately inflame tensions rather than calm them.
“This is typical of Senator Dafinone hiding under the cover of his high office to ventilate long-standing bias and ethnic sentiment. As a senator of the Federal Republic, his duty is to de-escalate, not to throw petrol on already burning embers of conflict.
“Where was his voice when innocent people were attacked by Urhobo youths of Agbassa? Why was there no equal outrage when human lives, the most sacred trust were placed in harm’s way? Or are some lives less valuable than the symbolic UPU building?
“Warri is home to very many and in fact to all alike. No ethnic group has the right to elevate its interests above the collective peace and security of all. A senator should speak like a statesman — not like an ethnic crusader.”
“I therefore call on Senator Dafinone to retrace his steps, temper his language, and focus on building bridges of unity. His role demands fairness and neutrality, not incitement disguised as empathy. The people of Warri deserve peace and progress, not deliberate fueling of division,” Reyenieju stated.
