They appeared to be willing to help, but Martha Agbani, the women's leader, had a sense of danger. She recognized the threat behind their offer to carry things for them in Yaataah, a village in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Agbani had encountered these men before and knew that they expected payment, or else there would be trouble. She was determined to provide opportunities for the women in the community, who had long been marginalized in Ogoniland, a region known for its resistance against oil companies. Throughout her life, Agbani had witnessed the struggles of women in the Niger Delta to survive and to have their voices heard above those of men. She was determined to establish a large nursery to grow hundreds of thousands of mangrove plants to sell to Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian subsidiary, the dominant oil company in Ogoniland responsible for destroying many mangroves. Agbani, a resilient woman with a friendly but no-nonsense attitude, aimed to create a business that could empower women financially and help restore the environment. Mangroves have natural benefits, such as filtering water, preventing coastal erosion, and providing a habitat for aquatic life that supports humans. The Niger Delta was once home to a large mangrove ecosystem that humans coexisted with peacefully for centuries. However, the rise of oil production, upon which the Nigerian government heavily relies, led to the destruction of the mangrove forests. In 2011, the United Nations Environment Program released a significant report on pollution in Ogoniland, stating that it could take 30 years to clean up. The government agency responsible for cleaning the land and water, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, has been very slow to take action. Following two oil spills in 2007 and 2008 that devastated mangrove forests near Bodo, Shell agreed to compensate the community, clean up the oil, and replant. Agbani saw an opportunity, as the company would require a large number of mangroves, which are essential for protecting the coastline and providing habitat for marine life. She began by cultivating mangroves in her own yard before seeking out a location to establish a nursery. This led her to Yaataah, where the creek had once been filled with mangrove forests, but many had disappeared due to past environmental disasters and the encroachment of invasive nipa palms introduced by the British. She began planning the project's implementation there and brought in over 100 female mangrove planters to celebrate its launch in late 2019. However, during the celebration, she encountered young men who unexpectedly arrived and demanded money and snacks intended for the women. When she protested to them, emphasizing that the women had arrived to assist in rejuvenating the land for the benefit of their mothers and sisters who depended on harvesting periwinkles, they responded by physically assaulting her. "They were pulling me from behind," she recounted. "The situation quickly escalated." Disturbed by the incident, Agbani and her team departed from Yaataah and did not return for several months. Despite relocating the nursery to a different area with the help of a local leader who provided land near the contaminated areas in Bodo, she found it difficult to completely disconnect from Yaataah. The creek was a great place for the women to practice growing mangroves from seeds in a natural environment, rather than starting them in plastic grow bags at the nursery in Bodo. In May 2021, the women returned to plant the mangroves, carrying sacks on their heads and wading into the creek barefoot. As they walked in the water, it became murky from the sediment being stirred up by their feet. Agbani, 45, laughed as she felt something moving around her legs and struggled to keep her balance in the muddy creek. Martha is an elderly woman, the location was ideal with minimal oil pollution. Wildlife was still present, with birds, frogs, and crickets singing from their hiding spots in the foliage. The creek in the Niger Delta was obstructed by nipa palms, but Agbani had organized for villagers to clear a significant area of the palms. The women moved swiftly through the mud towards the patch, passing the seeds known as "propagules" from hand to hand and planting them at regular intervals under the direction of Agbani. As they worked, Jessy Nubani sang a popular call-and-response song, with the other women joining in harmoniously. Meanwhile, the young men arrived on motorcycles and were scolded by Agbani for not helping with the planting. Agbani's activism was influenced by her mother, who was involved in the Ogoni people's fight against the Nigerian government and Shell in the 1990s. She worked for the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, which was established in 1990 to address the environmental damage caused by multinational oil companies in the region. Agbani was inspired by the activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed by the Nigerian government in 1995. She vividly recalls the day Saro-Wiwa was arrested while she was a student in Bori, his hometown, and witnessed the chaos that ensued. She mentioned that chaos erupted as people ran in all directions, with soldiers entering communities and firing shots in Bori. This event, along with Saro-Wiwa's advocacy for the oppressed, inspired her to advocate for her community. She noted that while there were numerous organizations addressing environmental damage, few prioritized the rights of women who were disproportionately impacted by oil pollution. She stated that women in Ogoniland were always in distress and were victims of various hardships, and she felt the need to empower them. In Ogoniland, while men typically engage in deep-sea fishing, women traditionally gather crustaceans near the shore for cooking or selling. When the mangroves are absent, women become overly reliant on men, leading to increased violence. Agbani believed that the Ogoni people were responsible for safeguarding the environment for future generations. It was distressing for her to witness young men in the area impeding and attempting to benefit from the women's work to restore it. She expressed disappointment in their lack of understanding of the significance of environmental restoration, stating that they lacked motivation. As the leader of the group threatened to take her to court, she sarcastically welcomed the idea, unsure if he was serious or joking. "That will be a great one," she said as she left Yaataah on a rough road towards the nursery in Bodo. The driver maneuvered around a group of motorbikes heading towards the village, filled with young men hoping to make some money. Unfortunately for them, they were too late as Agbani was already on her way out.