A group, Aladja Peoples Movement for Peace, APMP, has countered the Delta State Government over its claim that it has resolved the over two decades boundary dispute between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities in Udu and Warri South West local government areas of the state.
Secretary to the State Government, Dr Kingsley Emu had announced that the boundary dispute between the two communities has been resolved.
Also, Executive Assistant on Communications to Delta State Governor, and Head of Delta State Orientation Bureau, Dr Latimore Oghenesivbe, attributed the peaceful resolution of the dispute to the ‘uncommon foresight and astute leadership’ of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
Oghenesivbe described the final peace accord signed between the communities as a welcome development, and an unforgettable legacy of the Oborevwori administration.
He noted that the crisis resisted all known alternative dispute resolution mechanisms until Oborevwori, through the office of the Secretary to the State Government, took proactive steps by adopting previous undisputed land agreements and more importantly 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 decades land dispute which consistently defiled genuine efforts of previous administrations since the creation of Delta State,” Oghenesivbe said.
But APMP Clcoordinators, Comrade Simon Sibitor and Comrade Ejovwo countered the government’s claims, saying the dispute has not 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”.
They 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 said.
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.
“The land in dispute belongs to Aladja and if the government wants to acquire the land by force, the government must be ready to kill everybody,” APMP stated.
The group explained that a meeting was convened by the Delta State government, through the SSG, Emu, to discuss the way forward for peace between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities.
“But representatives of Aladja community were shocked to see that there was already a prepared resolution by Emu for the people of both communities to sign using the minority report of Ogbe-Ijoh in the Prof Abednego Ekoku Panel Report instead of the majority report that was adopted by the then Government of past administration of Governor Okowa.”
According to the group, “from the foregoing, it will not be out of place if we say Kingsley Emu has been compromised and he is doing the biddings of his paymasters.
“We the people of Aladja say no to the acquisition of Aladja land by Government.”
The group noted that “Since the outbreak of the crisis, the Ijaws have been clamouring for the acquisition of the land in dispute but the position of Aladja people has always been that the government must as a matter of necessity, tell the whole world who owns the land.”
According to the group, the administrations of former governors Emmanuel Uduaghan and Ifeanyi Okowa did not accede to the demands of the Ijaws to acquire the land from Aladja people by force.
“These two past governors must have seen that the land does not belong to Ogbe-Ijoh hence, they did not accede to the demands of the Ijaws.
“But surprisingly, the government of Sheriff Oborevwori which has not deemed it fit to visit the area in dispute has acceded to that dangerous demands by the Ijaws to acquire the land,” the group stated.
Group tackles Delta Govt over Aladja, Ogbe-Ijoh boundary dispute