The name Don Waney conjures up the same anxiety that people used to feel when they heard the names of Oyenusi, Anini, Derico Nwa Mama, Abbey Gododo, Folorunsho, Shina Rambo, Osisikankwu, and, more recently, Evans.
He was the manor’s lord while he was alive, and he dared to go where angels were afraid to tread. The 34-year-old abduction mastermind, formerly known as Ejima (Twin) Igwedibia (a name that means “Strong Native Doctor”), originated from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, ONELGA of Rivers State. He turned into a veritable threat to society.
Waney was formerly Chiboy’s (the former leader of Orashi Marine) hitman in Ahoada East Local Government Area. Waney is a member of a militant Niger Delta group in the state’s Orashi region. According to sources, he rose to prominence by planning the devious powerplay that resulted in the death of Chiboy, the militant leader of the Orashi region.
He then assumed control of the militant group’s entire organizational structure at the age of 26, starting to manage its operations out of his Aligu village. He grew incredibly strong and well-liked over time. Nearly everyone, including politicians, religious authorities, youth organizations, traditional leaders, and multinational oil corporations, gave their all to him when he demanded it.
Fingers of accusation were pointing to him as the mastermind behind the daily beheadings, kidnappings, and killings in the Orashi region, which got worse during the 2015 general elections. Don Waney refuted all of the accusations made against him in 2016—including those of murder, kidnapping, pipeline vandalism, cultism, and oil-bunkering—when he allegedly accepted an offer of amnesty from the state government.
He had responded by accusing international oil companies doing business in ONELGA of being responsible for the public’s security issues. He further charged that politicians were to blame for the council’s stifled progress. And if the government was sincere, he promised to cooperate with it. He was one of the cultists and militants who accepted the state government’s amnesty, along with his gang. He was given the title of chieftaincy not long after. Indeed, he appeared to have put away his blade of murder and other misdeeds for a few months. For example, in 2017 he vowed that no amount of temptation from his opponents would cause him to go back to his old ways after his mother was kidnapped and released a few days later.
The man, whose true name is Prince Ejima Igwedibia, was born in Aligu Community of Omoku, the administrative center of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA), in 1983. He is the first child of the Igwedibia family. His younger brother, known by the lethal moniker “Obataosu” (which translates to “one who causes trouble the moment he walks into a gathering or scene”), is one of his siblings and a fellow member of his gang. Waney, a former pupil at ONELGA’s Community Secondary School, Obigwe, left in Class 3. After that, he went along the same route and mixed up with criminal groups.
There was tension between Don Waney and his father, according to sources. Everyone in the community knew that his father’s refusal to condone his illicit activities was the root of the conflict. But the same cannot be said of his mother, who, according to rumors, exposed him to witchcraft and gave her unwavering support for his illegal endeavors, to the point where she not only lived with him in his mansion but also oversaw the gang’s shopping. According to several accounts, she used to shop for food and necessities for the gang and was constantly accompanied by men with large guns. She cohabitated with him until Tuesday, November 17, 2017, when the military raided the camp.
According to sources, the title “prince” did not indicate that he came from a royal line. Instead, his reputation as a gang leader gave rise to the appellation. Domestic theft was how Don Waney got his start in crime after giving up on education and school.
After that, he joined cults and, thanks to his viciousness, moved up the ranks fast. After transitioning from cultism to kidnapping, he led the infamous Island cult, a group of kidnappers. Politicians eventually took an interest in him, and the highest bidder occasionally hired him for shady jobs. Investigations revealed that, despite his collusion with dishonest politicians, his primary activities in the local government area continued to be kidnapping, bunkering, and negotiating with international oil companies.
Waney conducted himself as a real gang boss. His group frequently donned military-style camouflage, so it was nearly impossible for an inexperienced observer to tell them apart from Nigerian Army regulars. The primary distinction was the emblem on their red berets, which featured a human skull in the middle of two guns crossed at a point. The Orashi River served as their stronghold.
He had informed reporters that his main camp was located across the Orashi River some time ago. Politicians and multinational oil companies patronized him while he was alive. However, multiple sources concurred that he earned the majority of his wealth through kidnapping in the past before securing a prestigious position with multinational oil companies.
He received consistent benefits from one of the local oil companies, including contracts, work slots, and pipeline surveillance. He reportedly made millions of dollars when he entered the crude oil bunkering business at one point. That gave him influence in addition to making him extremely wealthy. He eventually turned into a lawless person.
With the enormous sum of money at his disposal, he was able to purchase the allegiance of some Nigerian security agency personnel.
According to a number of sources, security agencies provided him with coverage for his bunkering company. Millions of naira were made from his romance with security agents, much of which was given away as largesse that greased the wheels of protection. He was a warlord, and an insider told a news reporter, “He became untouchable based on the huge amount of money he made from bunkering and kidnapping.” Waney’s reign of terror, according to some Omoku and nearby community residents, lasted for about seven or eight years.
According to some reports, the deceased mob boss had two young wives: the first was from Omoku and was the daughter of a traditional ruler of the third class; the second was Igbo and an undergraduate who resided in Dubai with her two children. Following his gang’s brutal gunfight-related murder of several members of the ONELGA Security, Peace and Advisory Committee (OSPAC), the Nigerian Army raided his opulent home on Tuesday, November 21, 2017.
Then, selected journalists were taken on a tour of the Waney den, situated in the Aligu community, by Major General Eneobong Udoh, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 6 Division Port Harcourt, along with other security chiefs.
It had two steel gates to the compound. Bulldozers and an armored tank were required to smash them. There were four dwarf gates on the compound fence, which functioned as both escape routes and lookout points. A direct route from one of the exit gates to the Orashi River, where speedboats were waiting to tow Waney and his gang members out of danger, was provided. German Shepherds that could kill were also a part of his protection; the majority of them were slain in the raid. His mansion was a haven of luxury, complete with an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a mini football field, basketball and tennis courts, and a warehouse full of food and booze, mostly beer.
The opulent mansion did, however, have a sinister side that included a working fountain and a five-foot-tall statue of a double-headed lion. Human skeletons were discovered beneath the building during the demolition. Shallow graves surrounding a shrine outside the building held decaying human corpses that had been dug up for journalists to view. History claims that eleven human skulls were taken from the shrine. Additional items included boots, radio communication devices, bags of cannabis, dynamites, and various weapons.
Following the raid, Omoku residents celebrated the town’s release from Dagon’s shackles by taking to the streets. They thought he was dead, which was a mistake. The happiness was fleeting. The Nigerian Army claims that because of the unfavorable course of events for Don Waney and his group, there was bloodshed that resulted in the murder of 22 innocent people on New Year’s Eve. The victims, who were both male and female, young and old, were all shot and killed as they made their way home following the night watch.
Speaking from his hiding place five days after the slaughter, Don Waney said, “I have been complaining about what the Local Government Chairman is doing in ONELGA,” rejecting any connection to the massacre. In order for the cult boys to murder other cult members, he is enlisting them to join OSPAC. They had repeatedly irritated me. Following the abduction of my mother, they proceeded to murder each of my boys individually. I reported what they were doing to me to the police. I informed them that although I have accepted the amnesty, OSPAC members continue to treat me like a member of a cult. They even shot at me when they came to my house. They believed me to be deceased. However, I shocked them by rising from the dead once more, just like Jesus Christ did. Nobody can kill me”.
A statement from the Army gave a blow-by-blow account of his Waterloo. “The authorities of 6 Division Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt wish to inform the peace-loving people of Omoku in ONELGA in particular, Rivers State and, indeed, the entire good people of Niger Delta, that the notorious cult leader, kidnap kingpin and mass murderer, Don Waney is dead. Intense surveillance activities on him and his gang by the Department of State Services (DSS) Rivers State Command, revealed that after committing these atrocities he relocated to a neighborhood within Enugu Town, in Enugu State, where he rented an apartment and started living among unsuspecting neighbours within the community.
It was rumored that those were his final words before he and two other people were killed in an Enugu suburb. An Army statement provided a detailed account of his experience at Waterloo. The good people of the Niger Delta, especially the peace-loving Omoku community in ONELGA, Rivers State, are hereby notified by the authorities of 6 Division Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, that Don Waney, the infamous cult leader, kidnapping kingpin, and mass murderer, has passed away. Following these atrocities, he moved to a neighborhood in Enugu Town, Enugu State, where he rented an apartment and began living among gullible neighbors, according to extensive surveillance operations conducted on him and his gang by the Department of State Services (DSS) Rivers State Command.
“Don Waney was already perfecting plans to wreak more mayhem in Omoku, where he was to attack churches, schools, Army and Police locations, and the residence of the majority of the already traumatized Omoku residents, from the relative safety of his recently rented apartment. “However, a combined team of troops from the 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Enugu, and personnel of DSS Rivers State Command raided the hideout to arrest him and his other accomplices after the DSS Rivers State Command successfully located his new hideout in the Enugu neighborhood.
Interestingly, Don Waney, his second-in-command, Ikechukwu Adiele, and another gang member, Lucky Ode, tried to flee through the apartment’s back exit but were shot down by the vigilant troops as soon as they realized the combined team was drawing near to their home. While the other two, who had been shot, eventually passed away while being taken to a hospital, one of them passed away immediately. On Tuesday, January 9, 2018, the Federal Government ordered the demolition of his estate. The heavily armed security personnel carried out the demolition, which began in the morning and ended before noon.
Situated in a verdant area of the Aligu community, the estate boasted ten acres of land, a mansion, and eight luxuriously furnished bungalows. To reach the main building, visitors would have to pass through four sizable checkpoints manned by men with a lot of weaponry. Every checkpoint is manned by soldiers concealed from view by bags of sand used as barricades, either sitting or standing behind General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG).
He allegedly owns real estate in Dubai, Asaba, Calabar, Enugu, and Asaba. Sir Ken Chinda, Special Advisor to Governor Nyesom Wike on Amnesty Matters, paid a visit to the Nigerian Army’s 6 Division in Port Harcourt while the criminals’ remains were on display for the public to see. Chinda expressed regret that Waney played the role of the obstinate fly that followed the corpse to the grave. Chinda chaired the State Amnesty program, which on October 5, 2016, promised amnesty for the warlord and his boys. “We told them during the interface that the amnesty is not a cover; they will face the law if they violate the terms of the amnesty,” Chinda remarked.
“We are pleased and proud of the brave Army and its affiliated organizations. After accepting amnesty, no one should return to committing crimes. Criminal activity and cultism will continue to be met with zero tolerance. With the development, ONELGA will now experience complete peace. The ONELGA Security, Peace and Advisory Committee (OSPAC) was instrumental in Don Waney’s downfall. The local vigilance group was established to address security issues that had plagued the LGA for a number of years. It was the idea of Barr. Osi Olisa, the chairman of the council’s caretaker committee.
According to sources, some of the group’s members were once part of Don Waney’s gang and were able to confront him because they were aware of his notoriety. Don Waney waged an unrelenting war against the vigilance group, had some of its members killed at will, and once attacked Olisa personally in an attempt to neutralize the threat the group posed. On November 19, 2017, OSPAC, together with members of the Department of State Service (DSS) and the Joint Military Task Force, boldly counterattacked Don Waney under the direction of Maxwell Ahiakwo, an “Associate Professor of Mysticism.”
Waney, like a ghost that resists death, managed to flee the attack despite suffering bullet wounds, but 11 of his gang members perished in the ensuing intense gunfight. After the raid, the army seized control of his property. The relatives of the New Year killings continue to breathe a sigh of relief at his passing. Even though he cannot bring back the lives of the many victims he sent to an early grave, their families are nevertheless relieved that his ignominious reign is coming to an end.
Bright Nwokocha is still brimming with resentment because he lost his wife, Joy, in the 2018 New Year’s massacre. He posed the hypothetical question, “They shot and killed my wife and thought everything would be okay with them.” “Their penance has only just commenced. God will make sure that my wife’s blood and the blood of other innocent people who were killed are held accountable and that ONELGA experiences peace. We all need peace. Go home, ONELGA chief pleads with escaping natives. In an interview, Barr. Olisa, the interim chairman of ONELGA, pleaded with the locals who had run away from their homes out of fear to go back
“What has transpired is evidence of Rivers State Governor Chief Nyesom Wike’s dedication to state security,” he emphasized. “Now that the cultist has been eliminated, we can move forward with development.” Omoku’s residents are currently celebrating. He continued, saying that unemployment is the main problem we are dealing with aside from insecurity, which has been resolved. The problem we faced was caused by young people joining cults when they are disengaged. In order to prevent a repeat of this circumstance, we will endeavor to remove the young people from the streets.
In addition, Olisa revealed that OSPAC would undergo reform and stated that the primary reason for the area’s security lapses has been eliminated. As a component of society, OSPAC must develop with it. It will be changed, though. We want to make ONELGA safe, so we won’t be removing it, he continued. The late terror king amassed a fortune from his illicit activities, according to certain ONELGA members who spoke with the news reporters under strict instructions not to have their names mentioned.
Peace activist Obi Nelson provided a more comprehensive account of the deceased criminal. In his summary of the “Rise and Fall of Don Waney,” he credited the explosive success of his criminal enterprise for the fact that many jobless boys were drawn to his violent crimes, kidnapping, and oil bunkering. At his best, Waney led a large number of combatant “soldiers” with advanced weapons and ammo who could conduct horrific and destructive operations without getting caught, according to Nelson. Nelson further cleared up the mystery when he claimed that the late kingpin had once revealed to him the origin of his Don Waney moniker—a Jamaican action film.
“His other goons in Don Waney’s barrack have been declared wanted as we speak, in addition to the two goons who were shot and killed with him.” Nelson forewarned that Waney’s younger brother, Obataosu, is still at large and is the deadliest member of the gang. He is quite familiar with the locations, tools, and procedures used to prepare their jazz charms, according to Nelson.
He and other sources claim that Obataosu organized the massacre that took place on New Year’s Eve in four different communities in Omoku and the surrounding area. King Kong, another hated gang member, assisted Obataosu in the crossover attack before being shot during the joint Army-DSS operation. Nelson went on to say that Don Waney pursued political adversaries regardless of party, particularly those who bothered him or disobeyed his directives. He was the only one who was able to select the chairman of the Community Development Committee and the youth leader both inside and outside of Omoku. Well-known politicians left Omoku and the LGA after failing to stand up to him. Individuals who could move to his music remained.
“Don Waney is a true don, as well as a conventional leader. As a matter of fact, he was bestowed with the title prior to his alleged acceptance of the state government’s amnesty. “Eze Onyirimba I” of Ogbaland was his title. He was bestowed with that title in 2016, but not without consideration for his past. “While he was alive, he was heavily protected by security agencies and earned millions of naira every day from bunkering oil for multinational oil companies. He sold his goods to numerous gas stations. Oil bunkering brought in almost N20 million a day for him. Because he removed most of the important people in ONELGA, the mayhem he caused there will never be fully healed. He thrust many families into unending poverty.