Tensions have escalated in Ogbe-Ijoh community, located in Warri South West, and Aladja community in Udu local government areas. The source of the tension was an attack carried out by suspected hoodlums from Ogbe-Ijoh community, who opened fire on Aladja community in the early hours of the day.
Aladja is an Urhobo community situated in Udu Local Government Area, while Ogbe-Ijoh, as its name suggests, belongs to the Ijaw ethnic group and serves as the administrative headquarters of Warri South-West local government area in Delta State. These two communities have been entangled in a boundary dispute that has persisted for decades, despite recently signing a peace accord. Nevertheless, the prospect of a truce remains distant.
The palpable tension revolves around competing claims of land ownership. The two ethnic groups have been engaged in a cold war over the disputed land. Leaders from both communities have resorted to pointing fingers at each other. At one point, Ogbe-Ijoh issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Aladja community, demanding their relocation and claiming ownership of the land. The Ogbe-Ijoh community’s youth leadership even wrote a warning letter to the state government, urging them to compel Aladja community to vacate the land. They threatened to employ any means necessary to force them out. In response to the ultimatum, the Aladja community alerted the state government, describing Ogbe-Ijoh’s demand as sacrilegious and insulting. They warned that the eviction order would invite another round of bloody conflict between the two communities.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Ejovbo Ashe, secretary general Kingsley Krokele, and publicity secretary Diemuare Olokpa, the Aladja community called on Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, to intervene and restrain the Ogbe-Ijoh youths to prevent further escalation of the crisis. They recounted how the land currently occupied by the Ijaws in Ogbe-Ijoh was given to them by the people of Aladja after being evicted from Warri GRA by a British Captain James in 1908. They lamented that the Ogbe-Ijoh people may have forgotten their history and the generosity of the Aladja community. They urged Ogbe-Ijoh to reclaim their land in Warri and not cause trouble for Aladja.
The Aladja community cautioned Ogbe-Ijoh to cease their acts of intimidation and allow peace to prevail. They emphasized their readiness to defend themselves and their properties using any available means.
Despite the signing of a peace treaty titled “Peace Accord” in September 2022 at the Government House Annex in Edjeba, Warri, which declared that the Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities would no longer attack each other over the disputed land, the recent shootings and ongoing tension indicate that the crisis remains unresolved.
During a peace and security meeting, the youths from Aladja community reportedly repelled the attacks and chased away the suspected hoodlums from Ogbe-Ijoh. Since then, they have been preparing for war.
It is believed that politicians are exploiting the crisis for their selfish political gains. The ongoing conflict has resulted in numerous casualties and property damage in both communities, leaving many children orphaned.
Taking advantage of their successful defense, hundreds of women from Aladja staged a peaceful protest, calling on governor Sheriff Oborevwori to resolve the long-standing crisis between the two communities. Led by Mrs. Florence Shakaohwo, the women danced through the major streets of Aladja and chanted solidarity songs. They carried placards with messages such as “Governor Sheriff, come and resolve the age-long crisis now,” “War is destructive, peace is priceless. Aladja’s mothers call for peace,” “Governor Sheriff, please call Hon. Taye Tuoyo to order now,” “The Nigerian Army must not escort building materials to Ogbe-Ijoh,” and “Aladja is a home for all. Hon. Taye Tuoyo must stop causing a crisis.”
Shakaohwo urged Delta State governor RT. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene and restrain Hon. Taye Tuoyo, the chairman of Warri South-West Local Government Council. She criticised Tuoyo’s alleged insistence on using Nigerian Army personnel from the 3 Battalion in Effurun to transport building materials through Aladja community to the council’s secretariat. She described this act as highly insensitive to the plight of the peaceful Aladja people during the demarcation process. Shakaohwo emphasized that the disputed land belongs to the Aladja community, which has maintained peace, while accusing the Ogbe-Ijoh people of disregarding previous peace agreements.
Mrs. Blessing Badidi further accused Major Solomon Nwakwuda of the Nigerian Army of taking the side of the Ogbe-Ijoh people against Aladja, despite the clear evidence that it is the Ogbe-Ijoh people who are the primary aggressors. She urged governor Oborevwori to take action and address the defiant behavior of the Ogbe-Ijoh people. Additionally, Mrs. Eunice Apah highlighted the numerous lives lost and properties destroyed due to the crisis in both communities. She emphasized the need for the government to take decisive measures to resolve the issue once and for all. She lamented the incessant attacks by the Ogbe-Ijoh people, which have resulted in many children being orphaned due to this senseless war.
In the previous year, the Independent Grassroots Liberators (IGL), a political pressure group in Delta State, called on Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to urgently address the communal disputes. They warned that failure to do so would result in the senator and other politicians being unwelcome in the area for political campaigns or any other political gains during the February 2023 elections.
The Youth president of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Kenneth Ebikoro, expressed his distress over the loss of many lives in the ongoing crisis.
He called on the state government to urgently resolve the conflict, emphasizing that the youth would refuse to participate in voting if the issue remains unresolved.
Also, the group’s publicity secretary, Comrade Boro Ebikake, echoed the sentiment and appealed to both the state and federal governments to intervene, as the community is mourning the loss of their loved ones due to the crisis.
The Aladja community had previously raised concerns about an anticipated attack by the Ogbe-Ijoh people in 2022. They alleged that mercenaries were being recruited to aid in the long-standing conflict. Community leaders disclosed that many residents had fled the town due to the threats, claiming that the Ogbe-Ijoh people had expelled the military and police from their land in preparation for the planned attack.
This is even as the president of Aladja Community Council (ACC), Mr. She’ll Okakotu GodFirst, revealed that they had received multiple warning calls from individuals residing in the riverine areas, advising them to be prepared.
He stated that hoodlums loyal to militant leaders from Rivers and Delta states had arrived, anticipating the war.
GodFirst expressed confidence in divine protection but also warned that they would retaliate if attacked. He expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s response, citing instances where the military failed to intervene during previous attacks.
More so, the president of Aladja Youth, Comrade Festus Umukoro supported GodFirst’s statement and recounted how soldiers allegedly fled during an attack by the Ogbe-Ijoh people, resulting in numerous injuries among the Aladja residents.
A coordinator of the Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh Peace Vanguard, Comrade Ighotegwolor Bezi expressed sadness regarding the situation and highlighted the need for peace.
To ameliorate the loggerheads, he called on the Ogbe-Ijoh community to embrace peace and accept the ongoing boundary demarcation.
.Bezi stressed the importance of peaceful coexistence and the negative consequences of war.
A former president of Aladja Community Council, Chief (Engr) Paulson Okobiebi, blamed the Delta State government for its failure to resolve the longstanding boundary dispute.
He asserted that Aladja community has consistently faced attacks from the Ogbe-Ijoh people.
Before the recent attack, the Ogbe-Ijoh community had accused Jite Brown, the Udu council chairman, and his political ally of planning an attack on their community.
They alleged that the Aladja people had obstructed the only access road to their land, preventing the military and others from reaching Ogbe-Ijoh during an attack.
The Ogbe-Ijoh community addressed an open letter to the former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and signed by Victor Akemetubo, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Chairman in Ogbe-Ijoh.
They called on governor Sheriff Oborevwori to address the alleged misconduct of Jite Brown and resolve the land dispute between the communities.
However, the Aladja community refuted these allegations, stating that the Ogbe-Ijoh people were planning an attack on them.
They dismissed the claim of the access road being blocked, highlighting ongoing road construction approved by the former governor. They also accused the Ogbe-Ijoh community of consistently obstructing peace efforts and disregarding agreements.
Efforts to obtain a response from Jite Brown’s chief press secretary, Henry Ubus, were unsuccessful.
The report from Prof. Abednego Ekoko’s administrative panel of inquiry, which was expected to resolve the matter, was also inconclusive.
The Ogbe-Ijoh community rejected the report, while two other panel members wrote a minority report, which was seen as offensive.
The Nigerian Army also intervened in the crisis. In a statement by the Commander of the 63 Brigade, Brigadier General MLD Saraso. The Army attributed the renewed conflict to the destruction of a symbolic flag site in Ogbe-Ijoh allegedly carried out by Aladja youths. The Army stated that the situation was relatively calm but closely monitored, with efforts being made to reconcile the warring factions.
The boundary dispute between the two communities escalated in 2018, resulting in the loss of lives. The Ogbe-Ijoh community was accused of burning down a plank house in retaliation for alleged killings by Aladja youths. The conflict escalated further when individuals dressed in military uniforms, believed to be soldiers, opened fire on Aladja residents, causing numerous casualties. Olorogun Moses Taiga, the former President-General of the Urhobo Progress Union, condemned the clashes and urged Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to address the dispute.
Engr. Jude Akpodubakaye, a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, blamed the insensitivity of the PDP-led administration for the inter-ethnic conflicts.
He expressed confidence that with Senator Omo-Agege as the governor of Delta State, these security challenges would be resolved, allowing for development in the affected communities.
Akpodubakaye criticised the Delta State government for failing to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established in 2015 to investigate the land dispute between the communities.
He emphasised the government’s responsibility to protect lives and property and lamented the lack of attention given to the safety of the riverine communities where the Ijaws reside.
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