SUMMARY

Isenasawo, also known as Teme, was an armed youth group that emerged during the 1990s in Nembe, Nigeria. Nembe town was located in Bayelsa state, within the oil-rich Nigerian area of the Niger Delta. The presence of valuable oil resulted in multiple local groups forming to compete for local control over the benefits of hosting oil extraction companies such as the Isenasawo and the Isongo-Furo.

Isenasawo members drew from the Nembe clan of the Ijaw ethnic group, specifically from the Ogbolomabiri community of the Nembe kingdom. As a youth group, Isenasawo member ages ranged from their teens to their early forties. However, it was not the only armed youth group drawing from this demographic. Others included the Isongo-Furo, which had no ideological difference to the Isenasawo. Given this lack of distinction, it was not uncommon for close family members to be part of differing, rival youth groups.

Chief Nimi B.P. Barigha-Amange was principal leader of Isenasawo, although most local chiefs also supported the group. Barigha-Amange was an active member of the People’s Democratic Party in Nigeria since he managed the election campaign for President Olusẹgun Obasanjo in Bayelsa state in 1999. He was also Chairman of the Niger Delta Basin and Rural Development Authority, legal advisor to the Ogbolomabiri Chiefs’ Council, as well as an ex-engineer for an oil company. Chief Ikata was another notable figure for Isenasawo because of his knowledge of military logistics. During the early 1990s, Barigha-Amange and Ikata combined their knowledge to strategically sabotage oil operations and gain extra benefits from the oil companies. In turn, this fueled the creation of other youth groups to compete for the extra spoils, such as the Isongo-Furo. However, after armed conflict erupted between the Isenasawo and the Isongo-Furo in 2002, Chief Barigha-Amage lost his position as Chairman of the Niger Delta Basin and Rural Development Authority.