SUMMARY

Isongo-Furo, meaning House of Lords, was an armed youth group that emerged by 1994 but may have formed earlier in the 1990s.

The group operated in Nembe, a town in Bayelsa state, which islocated within the oil-rich Niger Delta area of Nigeria. The presence of valuable oil resulted in the creation of Isongo-Furo as various local actors engaged in localized competition to control and maximize the benefits gained from hosting oil extraction companies. In Nembe, the Isongo-Furo controlled this prized relationship from the mid-1990s until 2000. During this period of time, the group received standby payments from the Shell oil company, which effectively turned Isongo-Furo into an unofficial security force for the company.

Isongo-Furo members drew from the Nembe clan of the Ijaw ethnic group, specifically from the Ogbolomabiri community of the Nembe kingdom. As a youth group, Isongo-Furo 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 Isenasawo, which had no ideological difference to the Isongo-Furo. Given this lack of distinction, it was not uncommon for close family members to be part of differing, rival youth groups.

Isongo-Furo members could often be identified by the red cloth that they tied around their arms and forehead, which some also believed made them bulletproof. In addition to this visible identification marker, Isongo-Furo members carried a form of identity card.

Lionel Jonathan led the Isongo-Furo. He was a former university lecturer, who transitioned into politics and gained 100 percent of the Ogbolomabiri votes to become the All People's Party candidate for deputy governor in 1999. Due to this election result, Jonathan was appointed to the Bayelsa State government as Commissioner for Environment and became director of the re-election campaign organization for the Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. However, he was removed from power after conflict broke out between his Isongo-Furo and the rival Isenasawo.

Isongo-Furo received reportedly funding and support from political figures, although more specific details were not found.