CRISIS IMMINENT BETWEEN OGHARA, ITSEKIRIS OVER VAST EXPANSE OF LAND
OGHENETEJIRI NYERHOVWO
Oghara Kingdom in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State has petitioned Dr.Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State to urgently call neighbouring Itsekiri’s of Warri North Local Government Area to order to avoid a seemingly bloody situation between the two ethnic groups in the area over vast land dispute.
In the petition by Oghara Traditional Council also forwarded to the Vice-President, Yemi Osibanjo, Army Headquarters, Abuja, Inspector General of Police, Director-General, Department of State Security(DSS), Deputy Senate President among other top government functionaries and , , agencies, embittered Oghara people detest the illegal and unlawful handing over of vast expanse of land located at Otegbo, which Itsekiri re-named Obitugbo by HM Ogiame Atuwatse 111, Olu of Warri to the Nigerian Army.
Oghara Traditional Council in the petition, signed by Chief (Dr.) Frank Emiko, Secretary, Oghara Traditional Council said they can no longer tolerate the attitude of the Itsekiris, who have refused to heed to warnings that the land in dispute belong to Oghara Kingdom.
According to the Traditional Council, “we had earlier in one of our numerous letters, revealed the plan by Itsekiris in the area to establish a private university in Oghara land. It is our unequivocal demand that all construction and activities being carried out by one Godwin Ebosa on the portion of Oghara be stopped, pending the findings and resolution by the Delta State Boundary Committee”.
They added, “it is shocking that the Itsekiris in their expansionist tendencies brazenly went ahead with their plans to site a private university which they called Warri University on the Oghara land territory of Otegbo.”
According to embittered people, the Olu of Warri recently ceded a large expanse of Oghara land situated at Otegbo Village to the Nigerian Army for the construction of a Military Barrack in utter disregard of the unresolved dispute between the Urhobos and Itsekiris over the ownership of the lands at Ajagbodudu and Otegbo for which there is subsisting court judgment in favour of Oghara people.
Oghara Traditional Council said, “we demand an immediate cessation of the actions and activities of this encroachment. We shall not accept under any guise, the annexation of an inch of our territory as being orchestrated by the Itsekiris through this brazen action of their Monarch because our people are seriously provoked and agitated by this reckless act of the Itsekiris which could escalate the already tensed situation into unimaginable proportion.”
They further warned, “thus, we strongly urge that the Itsekiris be called to order immediately in order to forestall a possible break down of law and order which we have avoided all these while and guarantee the peace of the area. We demand an immediate cessation of the actions and activities of these encroachment in whatever guise and colouration.”
