Terrorism or Activism? The High-Profile Legal Battle Over Ogoni Oil Resumption

The volatile debate over resuming oil exploration in Ogoniland has returned to the courts.

A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has scheduled September 3, 2026, to hear the bail application and potentially begin the trial of Chief Gani Togpa, a prominent activist at the centre of the region’s latest energy standoff.

Togpa, the leader of the Conscience of Ogoni People, faces a four-count charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) that includes charges of terrorism and cybercrime.

At the Heart of the Crisis: The Fight Against Shell

The criminal charges against Topba stem directly from the deeply rooted conflict over who controls Ogoniland’s vast oil reserves.

According to court documents, prosecutors accuse Togpa of threatening to seize and shut down all oil wells across Ogoniland. State security agents allege this was a deliberate campaign to force the Nigerian Federal Government to completely exclude multinational oil giant Shell—which now operates under the name Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited—and its affiliates from securing any future contracts in the region.

Ghost of the 1994 Ogoni Crisis

The Federal Government’s case paints Togpa’s activism as a threat to national security, making direct ties to the region’s bloody past. The DSS claims Togpa published a video intended to destabilize the political and economic structure of Rivers State.

Already, some are drawing historical parallels to the 1994 Ogoni crisis, a devastating period of civil unrest that resulted in the executions and deaths of several iconic Ogoni leaders.

Togpa is further accused of violating the Cyber Crimes Act by using computer networks to harass and threaten the leadership of KAGOTE, a powerful elite socio-cultural group in Ogoniland.

A Defiant ‘Not Guilty’

Appearing in court, Togpa pleaded not guilty to all counts.

The trial has sparked immediate pushback from his legal team. While DSS counsel A.A. Emefiana successfully requested an adjournment to review the bail request, Togpa’s defense lawyer, Golden Awi, fiercely defended his client outside the courtroom, dismissing the state’s terrorism case as entirely “frivolous.”

Justice Muhammed Turaki has ordered the DSS to resolve ongoing issues regarding the defense team’s access to Togba before the court reconvenes.

The court will decide on September 3 whether to grant bail to Togpa