Moses Theophilus Kenibara VII

Moses Theophilus Kenibara VII was a Nigerian traditional ruler who served as the Amadabo, or paramount chief, of Moko-Ama, a community in Sangana within the Akassa Kingdom of Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. He was crowned to the throne in 2016, a role reports say he regarded as a calling rather than simply an honour, and he went on to become one of the more visible voices among the traditional rulers of the Niger Delta.

Beyond his stool in Moko-Ama, Kenibara VII held two other significant leadership positions. He served as Chairman of the Akassa Clan Council of Chiefs, succeeding Chief Newton Igbani-Okuru in that role, and he also chaired the Central Zone of the Ijaw National Congress, the main pan-Ijaw advocacy body, where he represented the interests of Ijaw communities across the region.

He was best known publicly for his advocacy around peace, unity and development in the Niger Delta, an oil producing region long troubled by poverty, environmental damage and intermittent unrest. Tributes following his death recalled him as a peacemaker who pushed for community security and for young people to pursue lawful livelihoods rather than militancy or crime. In the days before his death, a video of him publicly urging President Bola Tinubu to address Nigeria's economic hardship circulated widely online, briefly drawing national attention after some social media users mistakenly identified the speaker as the former militant leader Asari Dokubo.

Moses Theophilus Kenibara VII died in early October 2026 at the age of 64. Multiple Nigerian news outlets reported that he died following complications from a liposuction procedure, though as of this writing no hospital, family member or government official has issued a formal statement confirming the exact cause or circumstances of his death, and the reports should be treated as preliminary. News of his death began spreading on social media around October 8 and 9, 2026, and quickly drew an outpouring of tributes from mourners in Bayelsa State and beyond who remembered him for his decade of service to the Akassa Kingdom and the wider Ijaw nation.

His death leaves a vacancy in the Moko-Ama stool and in the leadership of the Akassa Clan Council of Chiefs. No details have yet been made public about funeral arrangements, a burial date, or who might succeed him, and this page will be updated as confirmed information becomes available.