A long drawn dispute may be imminent as members of the Oghara and Itsekiri kingdoms, both in Delta State fight over a land ceded to the Nigerian Army by one of the parties, The Nation has learnt.
At issue is that the Oghara Kingdom in Ethiope West council area of Delta State, has described as “illegal and unlawful” the ceding of 52 hectares of their land in “Otegbo village” to the Nigerian Army, urging the Delta State Government to call the people of Itsekiri to order over the development.
HRM Noble Eshemitan, Uku Oghara N’ame, Orefe III, the traditional ruler of Oghara kingdom, had on Tuesday, led members of the Oghara Traditional Council and journalists to the site to emphasise their claim.
The Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwaste lll, had on March 23, visited and reiterated the ceding of the land to the 90 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army for the construction of barracks for military men in Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of the state.
In a petition to the state Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the Oghara Traditional Council insisted that the vast land located in “Otegbo village (which the Itsekiris call Obitugbo)”, which was handed over to the Army by the Itsekiri monarch belongs to Oghara kingdom.
According to the petition signed by the secretary of the council, Chief Frank Emiko, there have been several “letters and submissions” regarding the ownership of lands located at Ajagbodudu and Otegbo villages between the Urhobos of Oghara Kingdom and the Itsekiris in Warri North.
The petition which called for urgent action said the Federal and Delta State Governments are fully aware of the issues relating to the ownership of the said lands.
“It is on record that after the presentations made by Oghara to the Delta State Boundary Committee awaiting the Itsekiris to do same, the Itsekiris, in desperate pursuit of their expansionist tendencies, brazenly went ahead with their plans to purportedly site the proposed private university which they called the Warri University on the Oghara land territory of Otegbo as we had earlier alerted, notwithstanding the unconcluded investigations being conducted by the Delta State Boundary Committee, as directed by the Office of the Vice President.
“We demand an immediate cessation of the actions and activities of these encroachments in whatever guise or coloration. Although we are at a loss as to the lethargy and unconcerned disposition of the Delta State Government to frontally address the issues once and for all, we express our confidence with reticence, that this prolonged matter will be given the urgent attention it rightly deserves,” the petition read.
Speaking on behalf of the Warri palace via telephone, Chief Brown Mene, said the the ceded land is between Koko community and Obitugbo (called Otegbo by the Oghara people).
“Ajagbodudu is Itsekiri territory in Warri North LGA. If they say they have a judgement let them show it to you. The only judgement I’m aware of is the Jackson Line judgement which was given before the Nigerian Government was formed. It established the boundary between us and Oghara people.”