Land Tussle: Okpe Youth Council Speaks, As Crisis Looms In Sapele, Abigborodo Communities

By Onoriode Etatsemi

The national leadership of Okpe Youths Progressive Association also known as Okpe Youths Council Worldwide, the umbrella body for the Okpe Youths, have issued a one week ultimatum to the abductors of their brothers, Hon. Ovie Abeke a councillor in ward 7 and Mr Obakpo, a youth leader in the area, without delay to prevent a breach of the law.

The National President of Okpe Youth council Worldwide, Comrade Israel Ejiro Otomewo who briefed journalists in the Udogun town hall Orerokpe, said this press briefing is necessitated owing to the alarming dimension of events at the Otonyasere axis of Sapele in Okpe kingdom of Delta State, saying that there is an incursion of belligerent Itsekiri youths of ABIGBORODO in Warri North local government area of Delta into the Otonyasere layout of Sapele.

He pointed out that “the matters have now been made worse and more tension building up as the Nigeria police is now being clearly used to intimidate and oppress the Okpe youths of the area by the one sided unwarranted arrests of Okpe Youths Leaders of the area ”

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He explained further: “Those arrested are still languishing in police detention without communication with their families and lawyers. The Nigerian police force is proving to be clearly dictated to the leaders of one side of the conflict, the ltsekiris of ABIGBORODO in Warri North LGA of Delta State, “he stated.

He remarked that “it was established from precolonial, colonial and at independence that the boundary between the Itsekiris and Okpes on the Sapele LGA and Warri North LGA axis is the Benin River which was also known as the Hole in Wall Creek over which the Uduaghan Sapele /ABIGBORODO Bridge was constructed.”

“This is no land boundary between the Itsekiris and Okpes,” he stressed.

The youths in their demands maintained that “the police should not only be neutral in this matter, but be seen as neutral and for justice.”

OYC therefore demanded that the Nigeria police force immediately release the Okpe youth leaders who have been arrested.

“The Nigeria police force should not allow itself ready tools in the hands of terror sponsors who have no desire to resolve issues in a civilised way other than to sponsor trumped up fabricated allegations against parties to a conflict that is purely land about over which the police have no jurisdiction,” he added.

“The Delta State government and law enforcement agencies must bring to book the Itsekiri armed youths and their sponsors who continue to cause tension in Sapele side of the border between Warri North and Sapele local government areas respectively, ” they added.

They told the Itsekiri people “if they have any justifiable claims in the land over which the Okpes have an unchallenged possession since precolonial, colonial and post independence times and now, they should seek legal redress in the ordinary court of law rather than boasting to have capacity to use the Nigerian police force and government connection to grab land which clearly belongs to and has been in the possession of the Okpe from time immemorial.”

The Okpe youth called on government to respond promptly to the matter to avoid open confrontation from both side,” noting that government should act timely to avoid the pressure on the Okpe youths to employ self help to defend themselves, their families and their territories from the continuing attacks and war threats of the Itsekiris,” they concluded.

The president pointed out “that in late 2020, men of the Nigeria police force Headquarters, Abuja, came to Otonyasere layout of Sapele to arrest the Chairman of the Otonyasere community , Mr Austin Arieja, on petition of Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, the Alema of Warri Kingdom which subject matter was the land ownership of Oton, Gbekoko and Arowun areas of Sapele local government area.”

“He said after untold ordeal and subsequent petition and protest from the Udogun Okpe and Palace of the Okpe people to the Inspector General of police, the matter was seemingly resolved from the police end. The Delta State Government intervened on the matter by setting up a judicial Commission of Enquiry into the Okpe sobo Forest Reserve, Sapele to ascertain the issues behind the dispute and the Commission was attended by several interested parties including the Udogun Okpe, the Sapele-Okpe community, the Otonyasere community of Sapele local government council, the ABIGBORODO Itsekiri community of Warri North LGA and others.”

“Despite the fact that the Delta State government white paper on the matter clearly states that the entire area which ABIGBORODO Itsekiri people lay claim of interest in Sapele ocal government area, the ABIGBORODO leadership, kept sponsoring Itsekiri arm bearing youths to parade themselves as vigilantes in the area molesting people of the area including youths and women who go to their farm land to do their legal duties,” they said.