Benin Group Blasts Asari Dokubo Over ‘Invasion’ Threat, Insists Ijaw Are Settlers

A Benin socio-cultural and advocacy group, Ogbakha-Edo,  has condemned remarks allegedly made by former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo.

The group described his threat to invade the Benin Kingdom as “provocative, reckless and capable of undermining peace in Edo State.”

In a statement jointly signed by its chairman, Prof. Sam Guobadia, and secretary, Dr Andrew O. Izekor, Ogbakha-Edo accused Dokubo of attempting to distort history while insisting that the status of Ijaw communities in Benin Kingdom had long been settled by the Supreme Court.

The group reacted to a viral video in which Dokubo reportedly declared that Ijaw people in the Benin Kingdom were not settlers.

He cited the Egbema communities located in both Edo and Delta states, arguing that it was contradictory for the same people to be regarded as indigenes in one state and settlers in another.

Rejecting the claim, Ogbakha-Edo maintained that Dokubo’s own comments contradicted his position.

According to the group, Dokubo admitted that historical records showed Gelegele was an Ijaw settlement and also stated that “there is no Kalabari man that is from Benin,” a position it said amounted to an acknowledgment that the Ijaw are a migrant community within the Benin Kingdom rather than indigenous owners of the disputed territory.

The organisation further argued that ownership of Gelegele and adjoining lands was no longer open to public debate, stressing that the issue was conclusively resolved by the Supreme Court in the case of John Ikinbor Dweye & Others v. Joseph I. Iyomahan & Others (SC.131/1982) delivered on August 19, 1983.

It said the apex court upheld the judgments of both the High Court and the Court of Appeal, affirming the ownership claims of the Benin plaintiffs over the disputed Gelegele lands while dismissing the appeal filed on behalf of the Ijaw inhabitants of the community.

According to the statement, the judgment recognised the Ijaw occupants of Gelegele and neighbouring communities as tenants occupying land under the traditional authority of the Oba of Benin, adding that the ruling remains binding and cannot be overturned through “historical revisionism or militant rhetoric.”

While reaffirming its commitment to peaceful coexistence and cordial inter-ethnic relations, the group warned that the hospitality and tolerance of the Benin people should not be misconstrued as weakness.

It urged individuals and groups with territorial grievances in Edo South to pursue lawful and constitutional channels rather than resort to threats, intimidation or inflammatory statements.

Ogbakha-Edo also called on the Monday Okpebholo administration to treat Dokubo’s alleged threat with the seriousness it deserves by closely monitoring developments in Gelegele and other Ijaw-populated communities across the state.

The group further appealed to the Federal Government to caution individuals and organisations whose comments or actions could threaten peaceful coexistence, security and national unity.