ASABA – The Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF) has called on the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to urgently sign and implement the Delta State Community Security Corps Agency Law, 2025, to address the escalating security challenges in the state.
In an open letter signed by the Forum’s Chairman, Emmanuel Enebeli, and Secretary, Shedrack Onitsha, the group expressed grave concern over the “growing security concern” in Delta. They specifically highlighted the persistent attacks on farmers by armed herdsmen and the rising cases of kidnapping for ransom, which they say now threaten food security and public confidence.
The legislation was passed by the Delta State House of Assembly on July 22, 2025. Sponsored by Hon. (Dr.) Isaac Anwuzia, Chairman of the House Committee on Peace and Security, the bill seeks to repeal the 2020 version of the law. The aim is to establish a more robust, grassroots security framework similar to the Amotekun corps in the South-West.
According to the Forum, the law is essential to bridge the gap left by overstretched federal security forces and to improve local intelligence gathering. The group warned that without the Governor’s signature, the law remains a “symbolic document” rather than a protective instrument.
“Laws without enforcement structures become symbolic documents, not instruments of protection,” the letter stated, pointing to the state’s Anti-Open Grazing Law, which the group claims has remained largely dormant despite being enacted.
The Forum outlined several urgent reasons for the implementation of the law:
Counter-Terrorism: Preventing displaced criminal elements from the North-East from finding refuge in the Niger Delta.
Economic Stability: Protecting farmlands and investments to ensure the state’s livelihood remains intact.
Operational Structure: Establishing clear recruitment, training, and funding protocols for local security operatives.
While acknowledging the Governor’s recent assent to the Delta State Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Cultism (Amendment) Law and the launch of the Security Trust Fund, the publishers argued that the Community Security Corps Agency is the “missing operational backbone” required for effective grassroots enforcement.
The Forum concluded by appealing to Governor Oborevwori to present the signing of the law as a “decisive gift” to Deltans in the new year, ensuring that laws enacted for the people’s safety do not “gather dust on government shelves.”
