₦airaland Forum

nengibo:
Head of firs is what you are proud of? What of head of state? Chief of army staff? Bros know your mate oh, Izonapu olotu

which head of state is it Jonathan the mistake

Heartbender:
I don't understand. Jealous of witchcraft, prostitution or creepy-looking red-mudded structures? Y'all are ugly, greedy, low-living and ratchet. Benin sounds like a variant for Bitches.

really how many ijaws were chief justices,head of firs. in fact let's not go to far, how many ijaws are in command level position in the military. how many ijaws have continued to lift Nigeria's name outside of the country like the man osagie in the us army or that female major in the us or the smartest family in Britain or how many of them have led the student union governments of universities abroad or how many of them are high level staffs of CDC or other to numerous to count achievement

Markea:
The Ijaw man has always been treated like a stranger in his own land because of his generosity, money gotten from their oil has been used to develop most part of the country, Benin inclusive. What is wrong with a people having their own king in their land. Ijaws are basically settled along the river bank communities, in most states of the Niger Delta, Edo inclusive because of their occupation which is basically fishing. Oba of Benin is for the Bini people and the Pere is for the Ijaw people simple. The land in question is an Ijaw land and not in Benin.

.

keep quiet . na ijaw put oil for ground. why be say anywhere una here oyil day na there be una land. no worry u go soon fight boko haram for oyil in lake chad

atilexy:
Ur post shows how ill-enlightened you are! Yes, tiny Bayelsa can feed d whole of Edo state for its lifetime!

.



LIE

pascal558:
2 captains cnt b in a ship,these ijaws are just proud and arrogant!Usen,utese,egbeta e.t.c are yoruba speaking bt they count themselves as benin,they have their own kind bt he attaches himself to the benin palace,cos they knw they got their current land out of the generosity of the binis!if war was staged on them at their arival i dnt think they would have bn able to settle nt to talk of crowning a king!

yes o! I can attest to usen as the ruling house is descended from the ufeloro dynasty from ife.

Ewucanbeer:
Fvck the Oba, his Kingdom ends at Ikpoba hill!

bros abeg come urhokpota hall or go holy aruosa go talk am or even pass oba market around 7pm and talk wet in you write.

Afriifa:
We gonna send him to exile in this modern era.

it is said that it is only a man who wants to commit sucide that will go and pull a lion's tail. I can already see that your village people are playing baseball with your head and dancing alingo with your case

poseidon12:
Thank you for this information. Why would the indigenous Ijaw in Edo State not be allowed to have their own traditional ruler.

and this gazette has been trumped by the supreme court judgement. most importantly can the person who posted that info scan the copy of that gazette

nengibo:
I keep telling these keyboard bini warriors dat wen dey finish beating drums of war they should ready to dance it, if dere Yoruba/bini oba like he should visit trump wont save him

nengibo your insults against the Benin people is to much. let me tell you here and now once Benin start on your case no body should blame the Benin people once you start barking like bingo

nengibo:
Keep your prayers for your imaginary kingdom and your ugly oba you will need it

nope I would rather pray to the ancestors for you especially after what happened to iniegar. I just pray your case would not be transferred to the esogban

nonsobaba:
I am Igbo but I have known these Ijaw people for long. Believe me, at the end, those Bini people will BEG for peace.

my response to your statement is that you should ask the Biafra soldiers who went to usen about what happened to them. also ask about the long outlawed group called owegbe

Pvibe007:
Get lost you and your Oba are stupid !

Leave the Ijaw alone , they can crown their own King beside the culture n language is diffrent. Don't be daft

and you are so dumb

Pvibe007:
That's how the Edo ppl play politics ! While they make up to 100% of Nigerians in Libya

really and you have done a census to confirm your very insane figures. wow I never knew that someone who can write can also be an illiterate

Pvibe007:
You are indeed a scholar and a good one!
Bini people think they own Edo State because of the recognition of its OBA but they fail to realize that states may be recreated and some part of the state may fall in a new State, Sonif that be the case will the OBA still impose its rulership on this people?
The State Governor is just a cluess Tomatos that is just trying to dance to the tune of the Bini N it's silly Oba. The Ijaw are riverine people and they have their way of life, have their own beliefs. So therefore the Oba n the silly Bini jobless youth can go to hell! And they should stop this intimidation of the peace loving Ijaw people

ijaw! peace loving well I can see you are quite stupid, maybe u will come and tell us that a hyena is a cuddly, vegetarian animal. I guess as some communities fall in other states then the oba should exercise his rightful authority over isele-uku afterall the monarch was quoted on TV as saying the oba is their leader and that when a new oba is crowned they must come and pay homage to him

Heartbender:
This act of the Binis in Edo state is a wildfire waiting for the match stick to strike.
Bini are not the only tribe in Edo state. When the military partitioned tribes into states they didn't consider people but land mass. That's why you'll see people from Benue state being part of Cross River and some tribes in Enugu having a language and custom totally alien to the Igbos. Ijaws are water people. You'll find them along coastal regions mostly even as far as Benin Republic, Ivory Coast, Ghana, etc.
For a sect to want to forcefully merge another sect by compelling obedience through coercion and dark rhetoric it shows the end of its civilisation or empire. The Old Benin Empire found this truth through bitter means. Even the British, Roman, Egyptian, etc empires. I wish our African generation and all of mankind would have common sense.

stop being jealous of Benin heritage oviomwan

Pvibe007:
Abeg make una go sit down but you and the OBA Dey craze! How is Ijaw a tenant , is the Oba the Supreme ruler of all EDO state?

Useless Bini people causing trouble everywhere yet they pollute Italy and all over Europe! Everybody keeps screaming Libya Libya , 99.8% of Nigerians plying the Libyan route are Bini n Edo State so they can cross to Italy and pollute a well organized western system! Igbos n Yorubas n Hausa prefer to buy Air tickets and fly instead of going tru d desert!
Back to the subject , Ijaw has some minute population of indigenes in EDO state and Bini ppl wants to impose the Oba on them ! Is the Oba the Oba of Ijaw? Does he speaks Ijaw.
Mad people , n yet they are lamenting about slave trade in Libya and they want to subject the ijaws to same slavery by imposing the yeye OBA!
Rubbish! Ijaw do your things jare!

stfu and try and get a clue

nengibo:
It wasn't botched, the Pere of Olodiama is on the throne of his fathers

nengibo the impish there has never been pere of olodiam until this botched attempt. and to say the throne of his fathers shows your warped,biased and myopic thinking. I can only pray our ancestors deliver you from your ignorance

MENELIK1:
This is not related to Ijaws kicking you Ass out o f Benin!

I am in benin. oya let ijaw coman kick me out .olodo!
you and others are forming e warriors. for my area na ijaw dey stay there and see as them they maintain. � its why I am always laughing out loud when people say ijaw will destroy the Benin's if they should fight. those that are on ground know the true state of things. �abi u nor no say if ijaw dey fight guerrilla style Benin's don't perfect am tay tay. na wen them see water turn to other things dem go carry themselves come beg. Benin Neva get their or ur time ����

its not Obama that people should blame but Nicholas Sarkozy. I read in one the top western media house site that sarkozy was the one who was pushing to overthrow Gaddafi because he wanted his country's forex reserve to be in gold bullion and some other economic policy which would have severely hurt French and other western economies

MENELIK1:
Alitalia product, Ijaws want to kick your ass you are shouting Yoruba, how are they related? If Ijaws can make you shiver to that level you can imagine how terrible it will be for your imaginary kingdom if Yorubas were to kick your ass. We are not your mate in all ramifications of life stop referencing the great Yorubas in your rift with your Ijaw masters

stfu nor be people like you dey claim say them bury queen Sheba for Yoruba land. I remember when it was posted in punch newspaper and some of your people were claiming to be descendants of David and Solomon through his child with sheba. were it not for recent archaeological discoveries that apostates that queen Sheba kingdom was around Europe we for nor here word

step1:
So Benin lineage and greatness is no longer by blood but by supporting lies. So if I claim that Lagos or Ghana is Benin I will be a proper Benin man.

you're not a Benin man, why because no man will reduce his own people's worth not even the biblical prodigal son but I guess u re wat my grandfather calls an oviomwan. pls stop stating rubbish. anyway may our ancestors judge you

EDO STATE. IJAW AT GELEGELE ARE TENANT TO THE BENIN PEOPLE
by Otedo News Update
Jul 5
That Gelegele is a Bini community is a long settled issue. There are established, verifiable administrative inquiries by the then Midwest State Government and judgments from the High Court up to the Supreme Court in Lagos giving authority and power to the Binis over the land occupied by our forbears for centuries. Our claim to Gelegele and environs is neither fictional nor adventurous. The area was incontrovertibly founded by a Bini
Prince Ekaladerhan who escaped a royal death decree over 10 centuries ago particularly Ughoton Princess Kobe from Ughoton founded Gelegele after previous attempts to inhabit the swampy terrain failed the name Gelegele derived from the exclamation: “Gelegele emwan khian evbo” Our investigation showed that the first Ijaw man from undoubted history to setle in Gelegele was one Feti who suffered a misadventure in the near sea where torrential waves swept away his makeshift .home about 100 years ago.
He obtained permission from one Okunseri, the then priest of Ughoton, to settle there under traditional oath of allegiance. As time went on the Ijaw population in Gelegele grew but continually paid homage to the Binis nay the Oba of Benin, through Ughoton until late Oba Akenzua II, CMG, stopped them.
However, in 1969 the Ijaw who had prior knowledge of oil discovery in the land, rose against the authority which erupted in a crisis at a time a Bini man, one Ogbeifun Egharevba was Odionwere of Gelegele. An administrative inquiry was setup by the then Midwest State Government of Brigadier-General Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, headed by one Mr. S. Jamgbadi, a Senior
District Officer and sat at Ekehuan. A report was issued in 1970, and we quote inter-alia: “It is however established that the Ijaws have been resident in Gelegele for many years and that during these years they have acquired landed property and cultivated farms; but from the facts in evidence they qualify as TENANTS on the land - their-long period of occupation notwithstanding.
The matter went through the High Court of Justice and Federal Court of Appeal in Benin and the Supreme Court -in Lagos.
The Binis secured victory all the way. The following suit numbers are material evidences to buttress our claim to the land at Gelegele
and environs
1. High Court of Justice, Benin Judgment delivered on the 22nd December 1978 by .Justice. Ekeruche J in Suit No. B/I44/1970.
2. Federal Court of Appeal judgment delivered on the 16th December1981 by Abdul Ganiy Olatunji· Agbaja and 2 others in
Suit No. FCA/B/82/80.
3. Supreme Court unanimous Judgment delivered on the 19th ‘August 1983 by Muhamedu Lawai Uwais, former Chief Justice of the Federation and 4 others in Suit No. SC.131/1982.
Ijaws are only settlers on Benin land and have no legal, moral or historical support for their claims to be owners of where they find themselves
IJAW TREATY REFERENCE WITH BRITISH
In July 1994, the aboriginal Ijaws wrote a letter to the Queen of England and forwarded a copy to the Attorney-General and Minister
of Justice in Abuja. In the letter, they wrote: “It was only by the Treaties of Friendship, Trade and Protection signed between Ijaws and the British Government on 25th of January, 1836, at Bonny with Lieutenant Robert Tryon on behalf of Her Majesty, the Queen of Great Britain, that our aboriginal territory of the Niger Delta became a British Protectorate and was proclaimed the Oil River Protectorate in 1885 and the Niger Coast Proctorate in 1893 respectively.” Signatories to the letter were representatives of Augalabiri, Angiama, Sagbama, Odiani, Ogbere, Akassa, Middleton, Bonny, Ogolomoa, Obika, Opobo. It is note-worthy that none of the communities named is in Itsekiri, Benin or Ilaje
These has proven in many instances the Ijaws came to settle as free-tenants in coastal land given them by other other ethnic groups, only later for them to start actions of claiming ownership of those lands as shown in references above, a situation which have resulted to wars with the destruction of lives and properties.
IJAW TO MIGRATION
According to historical facts and treaties with the british, the Ijaws have their core settlement in the present Bayelsa state and western Ijaw where they migrated to coastal areas of other states.
There are authoritative records that Ijaw later moved both west-ward and east-ward from their homeland about early 18th century, P.C. Lioyd in the journal of African History iv. 2 (1963) p207-231 says: “the Ijoh (Ijaw) coming from the southern delta, have moved as fishermen into the westhern delta area, extending northwards even to the modern Yoruba town of Okitipupa”. Other sources confirming Ijaw movement to the neighboring homelands include: Intelligence Report of 1938 by Lt. com S.E. Johnson (R.N) Age. District Officer; Intelligence Report of 1938 on Ekhuan District by Mr. H. F. Marshall, District Officer
Another on Ilaje by R.J.M Curwen, District Officer in 1936 Prof. E.J. Alagoa, G. T. strke & C. Ifeka etc
In the course of these migration some Niger Deltans settled in one another’s homelands. Until recently, we had all lived happily among ourselves, respecting one another’s customs and traditions. The new expansionist agenda of our Ijaw brothers began early last decade, leading to a series of inter-ethnic crises between 1997 and 2003. They made state creation proposal to forcefully and illegally claim lands and territories that belong to other ethnic group
The Ijaws have had ethnic wars with Itsekiri, Ikwere, Ilaje, Bini, Urhobo etc Doing everything to forcefully take over lands belonging to other ethnic groups (non-Ijaw communities) in their claim of Niger Delta lands in several case with the destruction of lives and properties of peace loving people.
A source of this Ijaw agenda to take the Niger Delta can be found in an advertorial by the Ijaw National Congress INC (an umbrella organization of the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality) on page 50 of the Vanguard of Tuesday, May 14, 2013. In the advertorial, the INC recommended a political restructuring of Nigeria into ten ethnic-based regions with the entire Niger Delta, excluding Effik/Ibibio, labeled Ijaw. Another source was from the article, “Boro and Jackson: Alliance across the Atlantic” written by Professor G. G. Darah and published in The Guardian of 3rd- 5th June 2013, but look at it, the Niger Delta was never meant to be Ijaw.
The Niger Delta, from 1849 when it was part of the Oil Rivers to 1885 under Oil Rivers Protectorate and later in about 1897 under Niger Coast Protectorate, 1900 under the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria, 1906 under the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria and Nigeria in 1914, the Niger Delta was never contemplated to be an Ijaw colony. Many ethnic groups live on this space including Ikwerre, Ijaw, Ekpeye and Ogba, Ogoni, Effik, Anang, Ibibio, Etche, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Isoko, Edo, etc.
Ijaw’s ambition of taking places that does not belong to them also explains why it does not have respect for other ethnic groups in the region and at the same time cunningly and indirectly appropriating the resources of other ethnic groups for

ObalufonIII:


Did you apply this thought when you were busy typing away the oral fables about your great grandfather?

I have only provided you another source that cites several other sources to show you the military exploit of Bini in Ekiti is highly exaggerated.

of course. do you think I am a dummy. and no not exaggerated in fact I think you are purposefully underrating it

ObalufonIII:
I would also like to tell you that Ado is the original name we called Bini until Oranmiyan came back. He called the place Bini and his son Olubini.

Furthermore, I should add that Bini’s military activities in Ekiti is very exagerrated. The problem is you lot don’t read but rely on mouth to ear ‘action’ for tales by the moonlight.

See the shots attached below.

and I assume you have heard of the saying that what an author writes is colored by his emotions and impressions and that the best way to understand history is by matching very different and distinct sources to sift thru and finding that kernel of truth. pls go through google and read about the process of authenticating history and then you will find that it is not about accepting one source as a gospel and dismissing other sources.

Otu Notedoghewii have the following remarks to make to all and sundry:
1. Ijaws have severally attacked, invaded and occupied Bini villages without provocation and retaliation for too long.
2. Gelegele is a recurring decimal in Edo politics that it is a sing-song in the mouth of politicians seeking relevance and electoral patronage. Gelegele is to the Binis what Lagos is to the Yorubas; or what Port Harcourt is to the Ikwerres or what Calabar is to the Efiks.
3. It must be made abundantly clear that the Ijaws have always been erratic, provoking showdown but the Binis’ have cleverly evaded direct confrontation not because we are afraid of war but believe much in peace sine qua non for national stability, growth. and progress·
4. Because of the Gelegele escapade the Ijaws have further audacity to extend their ambitious voyage of annexation to many Benin communities because no one has challenged them since modern development has refused to come to their peculiar terrain they have embarked on a voyage to seek land to rediscover themselves.
5. The Ijaws who settled along river banks in Benin land in spite of our openness and acceptance has become a thorn in the flesh of ‘Binis constituting themselves as malfeasance, aggressors, instigators and violators of civilized behaviour.
6. Ijaw militancy has made Gelegele a disarmament centre because the place is being used as militia centre and gateway to the creeks in Delta and Bayelsa States. This has brought discomfort and tension to the Binis living in the area.
7. Binis has been excluded from the scheme of things as the Ijaws has dominated the affairs of not only Gelegele but environ like Abiala and Ughoton. where the crude oil being exploited by Dubri Oil Company Limited is located. They insisted and got only Ijaws employed by Dubri and derived benefits from royalties through .threat of fire and brimstone.
8. We are reawakening the Bini consciousness of responsibility, brotherhood, communal sensitivity and vibrancy through non-violent means. Gelegele is a starting point to other areas Benin land has been encroached on without challenge.
9. We will no longer tolerate for any moment the calculated and surreptitious stripping of Binis of their age-long territory from every side.
10. Otu Notedoghewii is sounding a strong warning to any Bini man that would want to betray the Benin nationalism to desist from it as he would be consumed with it in the new renaissance. Ladies and Gentlemen, the unprovoked attack of the Gelegele militants led by one Don Ben who has been terrorizing the locality on Abiaia when the people were building their community hall shows the Ijaws’ ulterior desire to invade, occupy and gradually eliminate the Binis from their land, Abiala forms the nexus Gelegele and Ughoton community which last month also suffered attack without being reported,
Therefore, we are calling on the respective authorities in Edo State and beyond to call a spade a spade and address the recurring issue of ownership of Gelegele once and for all. Those that are buying lands from strangers and settlers are doing so at their own risk. Henceforth, the Binis will resort to SELF-HELP if the government does not come to our rescue.

We Want To Bring To Public And Government Attention A Prolong Issue In Gelegele Community And Environs
We Want To Bring To Public And Government Attention A Prolong Issue In Gelegele Community And Environs
On behalf of Otu Notedoghewii meaning Group for the Protection of Benin land, we are pleased to be in the premises of the notable Nigerian Observer, a newspaper that has projected the interest and growth of Edo within and outside the State. In recent· times, the Nigerian Observer has undergone surgery that has now positioned the newspaper to serve the overall growth of the people. Congratulations!
Our visit centres on the communal crisis that has persisted between the Binis and the Ijaws. which has left a sore taste in the mouth.
We want to bring to public and government attention a prolong issue in Gelegele community and environ in. Ovia Northeast Local Government Area of Edo State that have-spanned many decades of administrative and litigation processes between the Binis and the Ijaws.
It is worthy of note that Gelegele and environs, is entirely a rural community, which dwelt in peace and harmony until the late 1960’s. The Binis have occupied the entire area known as Gelegele, Ughoton, Abiala and other relative villages peaceably without any rancour or antagonism from any ethnic group for countless centuries as historical facts reveal.
That Gelegele is a Bini community is a long settled issue. There are established, verifiable administrative inquiries by the then Midwest State Government and judgments from the High Court up to the Supreme Court in Lagos giving authority and power to the Binis over the land occupied by our forbears for centuries.
Our claim to Gelegele and environs is neither fictional nor adventurous. The area was incontrovertibly founded by a Bini Prince Ekaladerhan who escaped a royal death decree over 10 centuries ago particularly Ughoton Princess Kobe from Ughoton founded Gelegele after previous attempts to inhabit the swampy terrain failed the name Gelegele derived from the exclamation:
“Gelegele emwan khian evbo” Our investigation showed that the first Ijaw man from undoubted history to setle in Gelegele was one Feti who suffered a misadventure in the near sea where torrential waves swept away his makeshift .home about 100 years ago. He obtained permission from one Okunseri, the then priest of ·Ughoton, to settle there under traditional oath of allegiance. As time went on the Ijaw population in Gelegele grew but continually paid homage to the Binis nay the Oba of Benin, through Ughoton until late Oba Akenzua II, CMG, stopped them.
However, in 1969 the Ijaw who had prior knowledge of oil discovery in the land, rose against the authority which erupted in a crisis at a time a Bini man, one Ogbeifun Egharevba was Odionwere of Gelegele. An administrative inquiry was setup by the then Midwest State Government of Brigadier-General Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, headed by one Mr. S. Jamgbadi, a Senior District Officer and sat at Ekehuan. A report was issued in 1970, and we quote inter-alia: “It is however established that the Ijaws have been resident in Gelegele for many years and that during these years they have acquired landed property and cultivated farms; but from the facts in evidence they qualify as TENANTS on the land - their-long period of occupation notwithstanding.
The matter went through the High Court of Justice and Federal Court of Appeal in Benin and the Supreme Court -in Lagos. The Binis secured victory all the way. The following suit numbers are material evidences to buttress our claim to the land at Gelegele and environs
1. High Court of Justice, Benin Judgment delivered on the 22nd December 1978 by .Justice. Ekeruche J in Suit No. B/I44/1970.
2. Federal Court of Appeal judgment delivered on the 16th December1981 by Abdul Ganiy Olatunji· Agbaja and 2 others in Suit No. FCA/B/82/80.
3. Supreme Court unanimous Judgment delivered on the 19th ‘August 1983 by Muhamedu Lawai Uwais, former Chief Justice of the Federation and 4 others in Suit No. SC.131/1982.
With all these’ unassailable evidences, the Binis has been magnanimous in victory. We absorbed them and refused to insist on enforcing the Supreme Court ruling to the letter because Binis are receptacles to strangers of all shades. Yet the Ijaws have not only abused undeserved privileges but consistently for 40 years assaulted our integrity, abused our simplicity, challenged our international acclaimed military prowess, brazenly cajoled and’ intimidated our sense of belonging and trampled on our collective will. It is enough!
Otu Notedoghewii have the following remarks to make to all and sundry:
1. Ijaws have severally attacked, invaded and occupied Bini villages without provocation and retaliation for too long.
2. Gelegele is a recurring decimal in Edo politics that it is a sing-song in the mouth of politicians seeking relevance and electoral patronage. Gelegele is to the Binis what Lagos is to the Yorubas; or what Port Harcourt is to the Ikwerres or what Calabar is to the Efiks.
3. It must be made abundantly clear that the Ijaws have always been erratic, provoking showdown but the Binis’ have cleverly evaded direct confrontation not because we are afraid of war but believe much in peace sine qua non for national stability, growth. and progress·
4. Because of the Gelegele escapade the Ijaws have further audacity to extend their ambitious voyage of annexation to many Benin communities because no one has challenged them since modern development has refused to come to their peculiar terrain they have embarked on a voyage to seek land to rediscover themselves.
5. The Ijaws who settled along river banks in Benin land in spite of our openness and acceptance has become a thorn in the flesh of ‘Binis constituting themselves as malfeasance, aggressors, instigators and violators of civilized behaviour.
6. Ijaw militancy has made Gelegele a disarmament centre because the place is being used as militia centre and gateway to the creeks in Delta and Bayelsa States. This has brought discomfort and tension to the Binis living in the area.
7. Binis has been excluded from the scheme of things as the Ijaws has dominated the affairs of not only Gelegele but environ like Abiala and Ughoton. where the crude oil being exploited by Dubri Oil Company Limited is located. They insisted and got only Ijaws employed by Dubri and derived benefits from royalties through .threat of fire and brimstone.
8. We are reawakening the Bini consciousness of responsibility, brotherhood, communal sensitivity and vibrancy through non-violent means. Gelegele is a starting point to other areas Benin land has been encroached on without challenge.
9. We will no longer tolerate for any moment the calculated and surreptitious stripping of Binis of their age-long territory from every side.
10. Otu Notedoghewii is sounding a strong warning to any Bini man that would want to betray the Benin nationalism to desist from it as he would be consumed with it in the new renaissance. Ladies and Gentlemen, the unprovoked attack of the Gelegele militants led by one Don Ben who has been terrorizing the locality on Abiaia when the people were building their community hall shows the Ijaws’ ulterior desire to invade, occupy and gradually eliminate the Binis from their land, Abiala forms the nexus Gelegele and Ughoton community which last month also suffered attack without being reported,
Therefore, we are calling on the respective authorities in Edo State and beyond to call a spade a spade and address the recurring issue of ownership of Gelegele once and for all. Those that are buying lands from strangers and settlers are doing so at their own risk. Henceforth, the Binis will resort to SELF-HELP if the government does not come to our rescue.
---------------------------------
OKOMU IS NOT IJAW BUT BENINLAND, BENIN RIVER, GULF OF BENIN, BIGHT OF BENIN. BENIN KINGDOM LAND AND TERRITORY
Okomu is not owned by the Ijaws but Edos. Benin was the capital so all dialects you see today in various states in most part of nigeria and Cameroon, Togo, Dahomey, and others migrated to Benin. When the British colonial government started after the Benin kingdom invasion, for 17 years Benin was without a King. British then started empowering the dialects (tribes) to become autonomous by instituting hate into them (divide and conquer). When the Oba's son and heir was crowned then the amalgamation, it was so difficult for the Oba to maintain his power and government over the entire kingdom because many of them already became colonial territories. We are all one, the Ijaws are part of Edo nation, trying to claim some part of Benin land as theirs is totally senseless, the federal Supreme Court already passed the verdict on the matter. The land belongs to Benin. The Ijaws are just being forgetful or rather allowing their current waywardness overshadow their common sense.
Again, it was when the forest exploitation became lucrative during colonial period that Ijaws moved into Okomu in large numbers to ferry timber through the creeks to sapele and lagos. What business have fishermen with forests except to cut wood occasionally for canoe. The ijaws were tenants of the Oba of Benin and there are extant documents written by Ijaws to prove it as they paid rents till recent times
Benin is the only kingdom built in the heart of rainforest. Check Asante, Dahomey and Kongo, they were built either on the fringes of the forest or in the Savanna. Benin rainforest was the richest forest in Nigeria during the colonial period and accounted for two third of Nigeria's timber export. The town of Sapele +AT & P (African Timber and Plywood) were built on the exploitation and proceeds of Benin forest to the coast (Bight of Benin). The forest was teaming with elephants and leopards in the past and special quarters still exist in Benin that were responsible for hunting, trapping and taming these animals- namely Oreẹgbeni (quarters of Elephant hunters) and Ehaẹkpẹn (quaters of Leopard tamers). The Oba never stepped out of the palace without his pet leopards preceding him. One tusk of any elephant hunted in the empire belonged to the Oba abd he had the prerogative to buy the other tusk at his price. Any leopard killed in the kingdom must be surrendered to the Oba. There is a proverb among the Yoruba of Ondo, Ekiti, Akoko, Owo and Ikale area that "a person who killed a leopard have sent himself on an errand to the Oba of Benin".
The elephant tusk were used for documenting the every Oba's achievements as they were carved on the numerous tusk placed on his ancestral altar. Chiefs also used ivories for ornaments in Benin and other places. Ivory was never imported. There are still a very few forest elephants surviving and protected in Okomu forest reserves and were sighted by researchers in the 1990s.
Constant bush burning lead to development of derived savanna and destroys the habitat for wildlife. This is in addition to unregulated logging of the forest . What saved the cross river cameroun forest was the mountainous terrain that made logging difficult during most of the colonial period and the European companies lack of interest in developing infrastructure for their exploitation until very late into the colonial period. But the chinese are busy logging the cross river basin now and the super highway is going to destroy it. Benin being on lowland with adjoining rivers to float the logs did not require heavy investment in infrastructure development and so they concentrated on destroying the Benin rainforest during the colonial period. the destruction is still ongoing
The British looted textile materials (apliqued clothing, bark materials), leather (ekpokin leather boxes & ezuzu-fans, ema-drums), gourd and shell works.
I have a relative who only specialized in hunting elephant and he does not have to travel to Kenya or Zimbabwe to hunt elephant. Like I said we have elephants in Edo land, if you have no idea of that, then your Business is ask an Edo elder where in Edoland they have elephant he will tell you. Nri live in derived savanna as their forest had been cleared long time imo river. Vegetations change and that is what has affected some areas of Igboland. But some parts of Igboland have always been guinea savanna particularly Northern Igboland near benue and kogi borders
Ijaws are making claims of Edoland and okomu because of Oil in these areas which they are trying to claim ownership of. They are tenants of the Oba of Benin.
The forest was never Ijaw ancestral homeland. The documents are not online, but you can read them from intelligence reports on Ekenwan and Siluko District at the National archives Ibadan. Today the urhobos claim Jesse as their land, but it was Benin land that transferred in the late 1930s by the British and they paid rents to the Oba till the creation of Midwest
-----------------------------------
We Want To Bring To Public And Government Attention A Prolong Issue In Gelegele Community And Environs
We Want To Bring To Public And Government Attention A Prolong Issue In Gelegele Community And Environs
On behalf of Otu Notedoghewii meaning Group for the Protection of Benin land, we are pleased to be in the premises of the notable Nigerian Observer, a newspaper that has projected the interest and growth of Edo within and outside the State. In recent· times, the Nigerian Observer has undergone surgery that has now positioned the newspaper to serve the overall growth of the people. Congratulations!
Our visit centres on the communal crisis that has persisted between the Binis and the Ijaws. which has left a sore taste in the mouth.
We want to bring to public and government attention a prolong issue in Gelegele community and environ in. Ovia Northeast Local Government Area of Edo State that have-spanned many decades of administrative and litigation processes between the Binis and the Ijaws.
It is worthy of note that Gelegele and environs, is entirely a rural community, which dwelt in peace and harmony until the late 1960’s. The Binis have occupied the entire area known as Gelegele, Ughoton, Abiala and other relative villages peaceably without any rancour or antagonism from any ethnic group for countless centuries as historical facts reveal.
That Gelegele is a Bini community is a long settled issue. There are established, verifiable administrative inquiries by the then Midwest State Government and judgments from the High Court up to the Supreme Court in Lagos giving authority and power to the Binis over the land occupied by our forbears for centuries.
Our claim to Gelegele and environs is neither fictional nor adventurous. The area was incontrovertibly founded by a Bini Prince Ekaladerhan who escaped a royal death decree over 10 centuries ago particularly Ughoton Princess Kobe from Ughoton founded Gelegele after previous attempts to inhabit the swampy terrain failed the name Gelegele derived from the exclamation:
“Gelegele emwan khian evbo” Our investigation showed that the first Ijaw man from undoubted history to setle in Gelegele was one Feti who suffered a misadventure in the near sea where torrential waves swept away his makeshift .home about 100 years ago. He obtained permission from one Okunseri, the then priest of ·Ughoton, to settle there under traditional oath of allegiance. As time went on the Ijaw population in Gelegele grew but continually paid homage to the Binis nay the Oba of Benin, through Ughoton until late Oba Akenzua II, CMG, stopped them.
However, in 1969 the Ijaw who had prior knowledge of oil discovery in the land, rose against the authority which erupted in a crisis at a time a Bini man, one Ogbeifun Egharevba was Odionwere of Gelegele. An administrative inquiry was setup by the then Midwest State Government of Brigadier-General Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, headed by one Mr. S. Jamgbadi, a Senior District Officer and sat at Ekehuan. A report was issued in 1970, and we quote inter-alia: “It is however established that the Ijaws have been resident in Gelegele for many years and that during these years they have acquired landed property and cultivated farms; but from the facts in evidence they qualify as TENANTS on the land - their-long period of occupation notwithstanding.
The matter went through the High Court of Justice and Federal Court of Appeal in Benin and the Supreme Court -in Lagos. The Binis secured victory all the way. The following suit numbers are material evidences to buttress our claim to the land at Gelegele and environs
1. High Court of Justice, Benin Judgment delivered on the 22nd December 1978 by .Justice. Ekeruche J in Suit No. B/I44/1970.
2. Federal Court of Appeal judgment delivered on the 16th December1981 by Abdul Ganiy Olatunji· Agbaja and 2 others in Suit No. FCA/B/82/80.
3. Supreme Court unanimous Judgment delivered on the 19th ‘August 1983 by Muhamedu Lawai Uwais, former Chief Justice of the Federation and 4 others in Suit No. SC.131/1982.
With all these’ unassailable evidences, the Binis has been magnanimous in victory. We absorbed them and refused to insist on enforcing the Supreme Court ruling to the letter because Binis are receptacles to strangers of all shades. Yet the Ijaws have not only abused undeserved privileges but consistently for 40 years assaulted our integrity, abused our simplicity, challenged our international acclaimed military prowess, brazenly cajoled and’ intimidated our sense of belonging and trampled on our collective will. It is enough!
.

Afriifa:
are you gonna stress urself for dat guy? even gelegele-gbene. him nogo fit carry from.d ijaws n him d even mention to claim ekiti. dis guys self. dis their Oba, na oba of nigeria?

maybe because you do not have pride for ur heritage that is why you can spew trash. I have pride for my heritage paternally I am descended from the ezomo n'uzebu,oguigo of ugoneki, the oba of benin and the ufeloro dynasty and the izon(unuame) and maternally from the onojie of uromi. so as you can see I have every right to defend my ancestry. so if you are not proud of your background kindly sit down and stfu I am proud of my heritage and I know it and will gladly defend it.

ObalufonIII:
I will tell you the emboldened.

Ado is a variation of central/eastern Yoruba word meaning camp.

Ago is the southern Yoruba variation.

And Ibudo is the western/Oyo Yoruba variation.

They all mean camp, war camp.

Take a seat.

then thank you. I should have u know that my great grandfather was one of the commanders who the oba sent to deal with recalcitrant Yoruba kings who decided that they would not pay homage to him this was part of the Benin/ekiti wars which occurred from the 1830s to shortly before the invasion of Benin in 1897. I would also be happy to tell you that your fellow Yoruba's who knew who they should pay homage to helped them in fact one of such who rose to prominence by becoming a captain of the warlords omumu and asa(bor) army was ekemode. they went as far as ekiti to a place currently called ado ekiti. they are now quite numerous and have become a sub group/tribe/clan in Benin. they are called ado-akure(this is because their main base was at akure).

hotwax:
How many does Benin have?

Ondo
Oyo,
Ogun
Osun,
Lagos,
Ekiti

Name urs. You are nobody. We only know Hausa Igbo and Yoruba.

Who are you again?

.

pls tell me the meaning of Ado in the name of the capital of ekiti ie ado-ekiti

dude stop showing ur ignorance for everyone to see just look for any gazette publications of western region from the 40s up until the mid 70s or Midwestern gazette publications from 1963 to 75 . I can clearly state you are ignorant and not well educated in your history. it is people like you who are trying to create a different set of history. pls I urge u to emancipate itself from your ignorance by finding these documents and reading them. it was when I read those documents esp the native authority section that I realised a set of people were warping our history

MENELIK1:
Your ranting did not answer my question. Check my first line "Yoruba is plus or minus anybody" Yoruba don't claim people rather people trace their descent to us even as far as Ewe of Present day Togo. The binis are the one trying to claim other people by your revisionist history of a lost prince being recalled from Ile Ife and the fallacy of Lagos. Binis are now laughing stock for Nairaland folks. "Oba no dey comot for Palace", now he is in Garki going up and down, bini owns Lagos , now the Ijaws are here to claim the tiny enclave you are even managing. Please accept my sympathy. You said OBA is not a Yoruba word only, why not prove me wrong by spelling it using your alphabets?

dude stop showing ur ignorance for everyone to see just look for any gazette publications of western region from the 40s up until the mid 70s or Midwestern gazette publications from 1963 to 75 . I can clearly state you are ignorant and not well educated in your history. it is people like you who are trying to create a different set of history. pls I urge u to emancipate itself from your ignorance by finding these documents and reading them. it was when I read those documents esp the native authority section that I realised a set of people were warping our history

eulogy:
touch any Ijaw and see ur oba slaughtered like cow! An advice and a warning!

o boy I dare you to come and say that in Benin or post a video of yourself saying that on the net and not see if calamity will not fall on you. You think you can insult our revered monarch and institution and go scot free many people have said such and look at their end. I have always said that most tribes in Nigeria think they have violence let them come to Benin/study the people's history and see if they will not go on their knees to thank God for suppressing the people's killer instinct. Benin city is just a small territory of the oba's imperial demesne sorta like the forbidden city in China. my friend I would just advise you not to be the start of a conflict no one wants so just apologise

why would expatriates owned companies not continue to treat our labour force unfairly when all our government/leaders know is to bring in foreign investments into the country without sanitizing our labour laws. I was scrolling thru the net and I read that in some states in the US they have forced companies to introduce anti promiscuity laws into employees contract . foreign investment in Nigeria is done at all cost including sacrificing our people lives and our environment. What is stopping our government from developing our people to become the investors rather than bringing in foreigner who treat us as slaves in our own home