Delta State government and a group, Aladja People’s Movement for Peace (APMP), have disagreed over an alleged resolution of the over two decade-long Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh boundary dispute in Udu and Warri Southwest local government areas of the state.
While the executive assistant on Communications to the Delta State governor, Dr Latimore Oghenesivbe, has attributed the finality of a peaceful resolution of the dispute to the uncommon foresight and astute leadership of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, APMP said the matter was yet to be resolved.
Oghenesivbe who is also the head of Delta State Orientation Bureau described the peace accord signed between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities as a welcome development and an unforgettable core legacy of the Oborevwori-led administration.
He noted that the crisis resisted all known alternative dispute resolution mechanisms until Governor Oborevwori, through the office of the Secretary to the State Government, took proactive steps by adopting previous undisputed land agreements and also acquired the encumbered boundary areas between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities.
“The state government’s deliberate acquisition of the disputed boundary areas of the two communities as directed by Governor Oborevwori finally nailed the deal, thereby ending the over two-decade land dispute which consistently defiled genuine efforts of previous administrations since the creation of Delta State,” Oghenesivbe said.
But APMP coordinator, Comrade Simon Sibitor and Comrade Ejovwo threatened to fight and secure Aladja community land with all legal instruments available to them.
This is contrary to claims by the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori-led Delta State government that the boundary dispute between the two communities have been resolved.
The group expressed shock over the claims by the government, saying “it has only played into the hands of the Ijaw nation through the Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh crisis.”
It insisted that the land in dispute belongs to Aladja community and the government should be ready to kill all Aladja citizens if it wants to acquire its land forcefully.
It would be recalled that the office of the Secretary to the State Government under Dr Kingsley Emu had announced that the boundary dispute between the Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh Communities in Udu and Warri south-west local Areas have been resolved.
