The Isoko North Security Council in Delta State has imposed a curfew from 7:00pm to 6:00am in Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area, following cult-related clashes in the town and its environs.
The council chairman, Hon. Elder Prince Godwin Ogorugba, announced the curfew in a statement issued on Friday after a security council meeting.
The development follows recent violent clashes between rival cult groups in the area, which have resulted in renewed security concerns.
Ogorugba said the decision was necessary to restore peace and order, protect lives and property, and enable security agencies to conduct thorough operations to bring the situation under control.
According to the statement, all motorists, commercial motorcycle operators, popularly known as Okada riders, and residents of Ozoro and its environs are directed to remain indoors between 7:00pm and 6:00am daily, effective Friday, October 23, 2026, until further notice.
The council chairman appealed to residents to comply with the curfew and provide security agencies with useful information about suspected security threats.
He also directed security agencies to ensure that those involved in the cult-related violence are apprehended and brought to justice.
Ogorugba assured residents that the council was working closely with the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to restore normalcy as soon as possible.
“I am using this opportunity to appeal for calm and I urge parents and community leaders to caution their wards to desist from all forms of criminality and cult-related activities”, he said.

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State has approved the appointment of Mrs. Charity Ehimen as the new Head of Service (HoS).
The governor’s approval is contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in Asaba, Dr. Kingsley Emu, Friday.
Ehimen’s appointment was sequel to the retirement of Mrs. Minimim Oseji, who would be out of the State Civil Service on October 28.
Until her appointment, Ehimen was the Permanent Secretary attached to the Office of the Head of Service, and was previously Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Renewal.
According to Emu, the swearing-in of the new HoS will be announced in due course.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, during his post State Executive Council meeting briefing, conveyed Oborevwori’s appreciation for the outgoing HoS, Dr. Minimim Oseji.
According to Aniagwu, the Governor, who presided over the council meeting, announced a new succession policy for the office of the HoS.
He said the policy was aimed at repositioning and to bring about institutional understanding and experience in the appointment of HoS.
“Oborevwori lauded the outgoing HoS for her reforms and tenacity.
“Henceforth, whoever will succeed the HoS must spend a minimum of six months in that office as Permanent Secretary (PS) to understudy the processes and procedures in the management of the career of public officers”, Aniagwu said.
The outgoing HoS succeeded Mr. Reginald Bayoko, who occupied the office for almost nine years.
Oseji was sworn-in as the 12th Head of Service on April 10, 2025.

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Thursday, revealed his disagreement with the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
He also disclosed the position of the South-South governors on the project, insisting that they were unanimous in their support for the coastal road and against its re-alignment with the East-West Road.
He, however, was unsparing in his response to the comments of a former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, who he described as “a jester, a pretender and a politician without a base.”
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, said the Bayelsa Governor spoke during the 200th session of the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting in Government House, Yenagoa.
“I read, like everyone else, that there would be a realignment and that the coastal road would be merged with the East-West Road, which I do not believe is the same project. That should be a South-South road.
“I privately called the Minister of Works and said, ‘Honourable Minister, that is a no, no, no for us. These are two different projects.’
“I agree with you that the East-West Road should be reconstructed. It is called the East-West Road, but its reconstruction should not take the place of the coastal road.
“While you reconstruct the East-West Road, the coastal road must continue because you have already won the hearts of all the coastal states”, Diri said.
The Bayelsa State Governor stated that the discussion got to the point that he and the Minister disagreed.
“I told Umahi that, for me and my state, the coastal road must continue. He kept mentioning Mr. President’s name, and I felt that he back and tell Mr. President that this is the position of the governors of the South-South, because I also speak as chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum”, he added. was the implementer, and was the one who addressed the media so he should go back and tell Mr. President that this is the position of the governors of the South-South, because I also speak as chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum”, he added.
On Donald Duke, he said he was perplexed watching a video clip of the former Cross River State governor speak on the project on a television programme.
Diri expressed shock that a son of the South-South could describe the project as not feasible because, according to him, Bayelsa was a swamp.
“When I watched the video and listened to everything Duke said about the coastal road, what actually made me respond was the example he gave using my state, Bayelsa.
“He said the coastal road was not feasible, and his reason was that even the state capital of Bayelsa is a swamp. According to him, for the coastal road to pass through Bayelsa, 100 to 200 bridges would have to be constructed”, the Bayelsa Governor queried.
The State Chief Executive who described Duke, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate as a pretender, said he did nothing as governor when the Bakassi Peninsula was ceded from Nigeria to Cameroon.
“You pretend to be a presidential candidate of PRP. There is not even a councillor from PRP in Cross River. Not even in your own ward. Yet, you pretend to be a presidential candidate so that at the end of the day you can be rehabilitated.
“You can continue to be your national and international champion without a nucleus, without a base.
“I advise you to go back and settle the huge debts hanging over the heads of generations yet unborn, debts that you incurred and passed on to successive governments in your state.
“Do not use Bayelsa State as an example of a place where roads cannot be built. You were in office when Bakassi was ceded out of Nigeria. But because you were not a local champion, you did nothing about it.
“Above all, Donald Duke, you embarked on a white-elephant project called Tinapa. You took loans and incurred debts that you placed a huge burden on the people of Cross River State and every governor and government that succeeded you. That is because you were not a local champion.
“I believe you are more of a jester and a pretender. You pretend to be a presidential candidate, even though you have been out of government for over a decade almost two decades”, the Bayelsa Governor stated.
Diri explained that it was not in his character to engage in public disagreement or fight with people.
“I am not one of those who insult people. I do not insult leaders or elders. But what you have done is not just about me. It is about my environment and my people. I will always stand tall to defend this environment and the people of Bayelsa State.
“With our limited resources as a state government, we are building bridges and roads in the same swamp that he says cannot be developed. We are inviting him to come to Bayelsa since he has used our state as an example”, the Governor said. Governor said.
He said in his earlier response, he reminded Duke that it was the same swamps that produced the golden egg that fuelled the entire Nigerian economy.
“Yet, after that press statement, which I asked my Chief Press Secretary to issue, the former governor of Cross River State went back to say what I saw as more of an insult to my person. He started by saying, “That fellow.
“Hear me well: I am not that fellow. I am an elected, sitting governor of Bayelsa State, and I am very surprised that this is coming from a son of the Niger Delta and, more importantly, a former governor who should respect the office of a governor at all times.
“He did not stop there. He went on to say that, since I do not know him, he is a local champion.
“Yes, I am a local champion because that is where I was raised. I was elected to defend the local people. I was elected to champion their cause. I was elected to see possibilities where there seem to be impossibilities”, Diri stated.
According to Diri, it was time to end the difficult terrain narrative about Bayelsa in relation to its development.
“Enough of this narrative that the Bayelsa environment cannot be developed. Oil and gas resources can be taken away from our land, but the land itself cannot be developed? That is a fat lie from the pit of hell, and we reject it”, the governor emphasised.
He praised President Bola Tinubu for the coastal highway project, saying it holds much significance for the Niger Delta people and the Ijaw nation in particular.
“The coastal road is a very important, relevant and impactful project for every state along the coastline, particularly for us in the South-South and Bayelsa State.
“If you recall, on the day we were all crossing over from PDP to APC, I brought out a document containing the demands of the Ijaw National Congress (INC). One of the major demands, dating back to the military era, was the construction of the coastal road. These were some of the relevant issues that made some of us decide to say, ‘okay, let us go.’
“I like to seize this opportunity to thank Mr. President. The very thought of it alone that these coastal people should not continue to wallow in poverty and be dehumanised, and that they should not be seen as second-class citizens of this country is commendable.
“If we can have roads in the North and other parts of the country, then the coastal road should also be built. The very idea of it is a big plus for Mr. President and his administration. I welcome it with both hands”, Diri concluded.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa