iamuyiekpen:
Ijaw Youths in Western Zone, comprising Delta, Edo and Ondo states have fumed over the alleged persistent attack by Obazuma community on Ikoro community, an Ijaw settlement in Edo State.

The Western Zone IYC had accused the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki of quietly supervising what they described as ethnic cleansing against the Ijaws in Edo State.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of an emergency stakeholders meeting held at Sapele on the 7th of August 2023 signed by the trio of Dr. Doubra Collins Okotete, Chairman, Comrade Olu-Derimon Omaghomi, Secretary and Comrade Lugard Izoukumor, Information Officer, a copy of which was sent to The Liberator Newspapers Worldwide.

However, the communique had informed Governor Godwin Obaseki and other powerful stakeholders in Edo State that the Ijaws in Delta, Ondo, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom are watching the alleged ethnic cleansing that is ongoing under his reign as Governor of the state.

The communique reads in full below:

A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED IN AN EMERGENCY MEETING BY THE IJAW YOUTH COUNCIL (IYC) WESTERN ZONE: [Delta, Edo and Ondo States] WITH FEW STAKEHOLDERS IN SAPELE, ON THE 7 OF AUGUST, 2021.

IKORO/ OBAZUWA CRISIS, HISTORY WILL JUDGE GOVERNOR OBASEKI, IN HIS QUIET SOLIDARITY WITH OBAZUWA TO EXTINCT IKORO

1. The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Western Zone convened an emergency meeting with few critical stakeholders in Council, at Sapele to deliberate the consistent marginalization of the Ijaws in Edo State, particularly the communal clash between Obazuwa Community and Ikoro an Ijaw Community.

2. The IYC frowns on the unwarranted invasion, wanton destruction of lives and property in Ikoro Community, which is the ancestral headquarters of Olodiama Kingdom, in Edo State that is amongst the many belated long list of carnage, mayhem, and premeditated plan of ethnic cleansing to wipeout the Ijaws of Edo State.

3. In numerous correspondences and press statements it will interest the public to note, Council has called on the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki to intervene in the crisis for peace and amity to be restored, because Council believes peace is the only panacea to sustainable economic development.

4. Council so far has studied and reviewed the claims and counter claims by Obazuwa Community wherein they erroneously stated that the Ijaws are settlers in Ikoro in their doctored history and quest in collaboration of the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and other powerful people in Edo State to extinct the Ijaw people. Yesterday, it was Gelegele. Today, it is Ikoro.

5. The IYC is therefore astonished with the fact that, despite, our people’s [Ijaw people in Edo] contributions politically and economically Governor Obaseki will indulge an ethnic pogrom by exposing himself, whereby quietly supervising the ongoing ethnic cleansing.

6. Thus, Council alerts the world to hold the Edo State Government responsible on the ongoing ethnic cleansing that is quietly perpetuated and supervised by Mr. Godwin Obaseki and other powerful people in Edo State, supporting Obazuwa Community against Ikoro an Ijaw Community.

7. Furthermore, the IYC notifies Governor Obaseki and those powerful people in Edo State that:

(i) From Delta to Bayelsa, from Rivers to Akwa-Ibom and Ondo States that Ijaw people are watching, and we will resist any attempt to subdue and suppress our people and Communities in line with constitutional provisions of the law of the land, as well as in retrospect to the motto of the IYC: “resource control and self-determination by every means possible.

(ii) That Ijaw people have never been conquered, and we will never be conquered by Obazuwa Community or the Edo State Government.

(iii) However, that as Ijaw people even though we are peace lovers, we can legitimately protect Ijaw people because no one has the monopoly of violence, hence, we are not intimidated by a satellite hot such as Obazuwa Community regardless of the support the Edo State Government accord them.

In conclusion, we remind Governor Obaseki that although he is the Governor of Edo State, but when history will judge him, history will judge him as the Governor who quietly supported an ethnic cleansing by the atrocities of Obazuwa Community against Ikoro people and by extension the Ijaw people of Edo State.

Signed: for IYC Western Zone

Dr. Doubra Collins Okotete, Chairman

Comrade Olu-Derimon Omaghomi, Secretary and Comrade Lugard Izoukumor, Information Officer.

P.S. where’s Captain8, Giftibo & a lot of y’all ijaw vagabonds here? Can you see we’ve started touching them? And we will make sure we finish y’all. There’s no Ikoro community in Edo rather it’s Iko & it’s under the dukedom of Obazuwa. Y’all are strangers & will remain strangers. When we done with you guys we will then use the military to finally evacuate you creek dwellers back to Gbaramatu & Bayelsa. Imagine a tenant wanting to be a landlord when the landlord is still alive? We are fucking you guys up again today & tomorrow & heaven will not fall.

iamuyiekpen:


P.S. where’s Captain8, Giftibo & a lot of y’all ijaw vagabonds here? Can you see we’ve started touching them? And we will make sure we finish y’all. There’s no Ikoro community in Edo rather it’s Iko & it’s under the dukedom of Obazuwa. Y’all are strangers & will remain strangers. When we done with you guys we will then use the military to finally evacuate you creek dwellers back to Gbaramatu & Bayelsa. Imagine a tenant wanting to be a landlord when the landlord is still alive? We are fucking you guys up again today & tomorrow & heaven will not fall.

DubaiLandLord1:
Unless you're ready to go to war, Ikoro is an Ijaw land bro.

The ijaws have the upper hand if this case get to court.

DubaiLandLord1:
Unless you're ready to go to war, Ikoro is an Ijaw land bro.

The ijaws have the upper hand if this case get to court.

GreatBoss:
If the Benin is as old as the Ijaws why doesn't Benin have access to the ocean and they are thousands of kilometers away from the ocean.
If they want to reach the ocean they must first past many hundreds of Ijaw villages first before reaching that side of the ocean.
If they are as old as Ijaw, why didn't they have access to the ocean.
Ijaw have been in all these areas for thousands of years before British came, and States were later created that never had Ijaw at heart.
ThankGod all Ijaws share perfect boundaries with each other, because of Ijaw Republic.
You will tell me wether state creation means new land creation for tribes.
If una try us too much we will come and burn down tiny Bini tribe to the ground.
We will deal worse to you guys than the British did.
Una juju no fit save una from them, and won't save una from us either.
It's because of Ijaw that made Edo state part of oil producing state today. Remove Ijaw, and Edo is worse than Adamawa state without oil.
Is Gelegelegbene a Benin word? Or are the people living there Benin people.
Gelegelegbene in Edo Ijaws is same Gbene with Akugbene Delta Ijaw
Asaingbene Bayelsa Ijaw
Ogbabgbene Agorogbene, Torugbene, Kalafuogbene burugbene dubagbene Lalagbene ogriagbene ogboingbene
Tamugbene, Ijaw villages etc.

Nwanyiogwashi:
Bini people are now touching them physically instead of them to fight back,they start online nosie making

Touch us physically touch us physically now them don touch you physically

GreatBoss:
If the Benin is as old as the Ijaws why doesn't Benin have access to the ocean and they are thousands of kilometers away from the ocean.
If they want to reach the ocean they must first past many hundreds of Ijaw villages first before reaching that side of the ocean.
If they are as old as Ijaw, why didn't they have access to the ocean.
Ijaw have been in all these areas for thousands of years before British came, and States were later created that never had Ijaw at heart.
ThankGod all Ijaws share perfect boundaries with each other, because of Ijaw Republic.
You will tell me wether state creation means new land creation for tribes.
If una try us too much we will come and burn down tiny Bini tribe to the ground.
We will deal worse to you guys than the British did.
Una juju no fit save una from them, and won't save una from us either.
I[s]t's because of Ijaw that made Edo state part of oil producing state today. Remove Ijaw, and Edo is worse than Adamawa state without oil.
Is Gelegelegbene a Benin word? Or are the people living there Benin people.
Gelegelegbene in Edo Ijaws is same Gbene with Akugbene Delta Ijaw
Asaingbene Bayelsa Ijaw
Ogbabgbene Agorogbene, Torugbene, Kalafuogbene burugbene dubagbene Lalagbene ogriagbene ogboingbene
Tamugbene, Ijaw villages etc.

Nwanyiogwashi:
But some ijaw online nosie making told us that abia and imo is part of ijaw land fear fear people

bjdon:
Ijaws Ijaws. The bloody nose you got in Delta state from the Urohbos, will be a childs play if the Binis decide to face you full on. Aword is enough for the wise!

EzeAro:
General Retardri abi Ditari must hear this

GreatBoss:


Atleast we do do 419 Worldwide like Ibo we don't do prostitution worldwide like Ibo we don't carry drugs worldwide like Ibo we don't use family for rituals like Ibo.
Why can't Ipob and ESN ask federal government to be paying them every month salaries without doing anything?
They pay all of us Ijaw militants salaries Every month till today.
I just received my salary of October as we speak.

Federal government dey pay is just to cool us down naim una mumu dey talk, wey even federal government dey fear us.

Nwanyiogwashi:

Bini people are now touching them physically

ariesbull:


Cool who down.... Bunch of minority pipeline guarding cowards.... Wey dem Don destroy your ecosystem and economy....

You dey talk cool down.... You can't do shit! Well na Edo state ụna get mouth shaaa

Are � as e be

GreatBoss:


Mr man all Ijaw remain in all Ijaw areas. Talk from now till tomorrow all your frustrations end online.
Ijaw remain in all the areas we are in.

GreatBoss:


Atleast we dont do 419 Worldwide like Ibo we don't do prostitution worldwide like Ibo we don't carry drugs worldwide like Ibo we don't use family for rituals like Ibo.
Why can't Ipob and ESN ask federal government to be paying them every month salaries without doing anything?
They pay all of us Ijaw militants salaries Every month till today.
I just received my salary of October as we speak.

Federal government dey pay is just to cool us down naim una mumu dey talk, wey even federal government dey fear us.

Nwanyiogwashi:

Ijaw people are free to stay there the same way Igbo stay in northern Nigeria but the lands belong to bini and they're touching you people physically

GreatBoss:

Mumu.
Ibo pay rents in everywhere dey go.
Ijaw doesn't pay rents in Edo state.
Oya send them away now.
Mumu.

Nwanyiogwashi:
The Ijaw National Congress (INC), has appealed to the people of Ikoro and Obazuwa communities in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State to sheathe their sword and embrace peace.


6Prof. Benjamin Okaba, INC President
INC Sues For Peace As Ijaw, Bini Communities In Edo State Fight Dirty
The Ijaws in Ikoro and the people of Obazuwa have been at loggerheads over claims and counterclaims on the ownership of a piece of land.

President of the INC, World Wide, Prof. Benjamin Ogele Okaba, said in a statement on Monday, August 9, in Yenagoa that the dispute, no matter how serious, can be settled and resolved via dialogue.

The statement read: “The attention of the ljaw National Congress (INC) has been drawn to the ongoing fratricidal crises between the lkoro, an ljaw community and the Obazuwa, a Bini community all in Edo State, South-South Nigeria.

“The ljaw National Congress frowns at this avoidable conflict which has reportedly involved the engagement of lethal weapons resulting in the destruction of lives and property. This is not acceptable to us as indigenous peoples of ljaw and Bini. The Niger Delta ethnic nationalities are minorities who have over time suffered the same fate of oppression, neglect, deprivation exploitation and marginalisation generally in the wider Nigerian and a few other clime.

“Rather than coalesce efforts, strategies, tactics and energy to combat our common enemies, it is regrettable that two neighbouring communities who share similar existential challenges could engage themselves in acts of self destruction especially at this auspicious moment of our nationhood that has made inter-ethnic unity, cooperation and solidarity more imperative.

READ ALSO : IYC calls for calm as Bayelsa communal clash claims four lives

“We therefore call on these warring communities to sheathe their swords and embrace peaceful dialogue and arbitration processes to address whatever reasons are behind this conflict that has led to the degree of provocation and aggression we have seen so far.

“Both the ljaws and Binis and by extension all other Niger Delta groups should continue to eschew bitterness and explore non-violent mechanisms and options to resolve their grievances. There is and cannot be a better alternative to constructive dialogue and engagement in conflict resolution and management.

“As minorities in the Nigerian contraption, we are too endangered in a community of predatory wolves in sheep’s clothing to resort to internal wranglings and any act of self extermination.

“We therefore appeal to the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki who doubles as the Chief Security Officer of Edo State, to act within the ambits of his powers to restore peace and normalcy to the warring communities. The INC is confident that the Governor shall extend his fatherly tentacles and treat all the parties involved equally as citizens of Edo State without ethnic biases.

“We are very willing and also well equipped to partner with the government and the good people of Edo State and particularly the Leadership of the Bini Socio-cultural organisation in their genuine search for lasting peace to these intractable crises springing up sporadically between the ljaws and the Binis in Edo State.

“It may suffice to note that the ljaws are aborigines in the delta coastline who were never conquered and therefore must be so treated with the dignity and respect they deserve in their ancestral homes, despite being minorities as occasioned and orchestrated by state antics of balkanization.

“While we continue to leverage on the strategic initiatives initiated by the INC and the leadership of the Conference of President Generals of Niger-Delta ethnic Nationalities to build stronger unity among our people, we wish to thank the security agencies for their intervention and call on both sides to remain calm.

“Let brotherly love reign and the spirit of unity prevail and guide our co-existence and relationships as we match on this common route to self determination and fulfilment”.



Categories:Niger Delta News, Bayelsa State News
Tags:BiniEdo StateIjawINCINC sues for peace