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Inter-ethnic Clash Looms In Delta State Over Alleged Killing, Kidnapping Of Urhobo By Ijaw

November 24, 2016

A potentially violent inter-ethnic confrontation is brewing between the Urhobo and Ijaw in Esaba and Ogbe-Ijaw communities in Udu Local Government Area and Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State respectively.

The two local councils are currently fizzing with tension, following alleged killing and kidnapping of people of Urhobo extraction by their Ijaw neighbours.

A few days ago, the corpse of one Mr. Austine Oduara, who was kidnapped with his wife and five other indigenes of Aladja by persons suspected to be Ijaw, was found. Also, homes belonging to indigenes of Iyama and Epame in Udu local council were allegedly burnt by Ijaw militants involved in illegal oil bunkering. 

The militants’ anger, said community sources, was sparked by an attempt of Urhobo youths in Iyama and Epame to stop the alleged oil theft. This, added sources, drew a violent response, leading to many deaths and destruction of homes in Urhobo communities.

In a statement jointly signed by Mr. Sunday Subi, Youth President, Udu Kingdom, and Mr. Dennis Kpoma, Secretary, after an emergency meeting of Udu youths at Otor-Udu, the Urhobo youths warned all Ijaw people resident in Udu to relocate from the area and called on all Urhobo people residing in Ijaw communities to return home.

"We, the entire youths of Udu Kingdom, wish to call on all Ijaw indigenes resident in Udu Local Government Area to relocate from Udu Local Government Area.

“This call has become necessary over the unending killing and kidnapping of Urhobo people by the Ijaw. We also use this medium to call on all Urhobo people in Ijaw lands to come back home as soon as possible. Though we have tried to forget the past, history keeps on repeating itself,” said the statement.

It further alleged that despite years of killing many Urhobo people by the Ijaw around the banks of River Niger and Forcados River, the Urhobo have accommodated their neighbours.

“We thought Aladja and their Ijaw neighbours were having some little misunderstanding over land and we never knew the rumour that the Ijaw were planning to conquer all Urhobo communities at the banks of River Niger and Forcados River was indeed a truism," the youths said.
They accused Mr. Kingsley Otuaro, an Ijaw and Deputy Governor of Delta State, of sitting on the Ogbe-Ijaw/Aladja communal crisis report. They equally accused Mr. Boro Opudu, Chairman of Delta Waterways/Land Security Committee, also an Ijaw, of using his position to procure arms and ammunition for members of his ethnic group.

 Similarly accused is the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zanna Ibrahim, who is said to be covertly supportive of the Ijaw.

"We are not comfortable with the silence of the State Deputy Governor, Barrister Kingsley Otuaro, an Ijaw by tribe. His silence speaks volumes. We wish to bring to the attention of the Delta State government that Mr.Boro Opudu, an Ijaw man and Chairman of Delta Waterways/Land Security Committee, has always used the state security apparatus to acquire arms and ammunition for his Ijaw brothers. 

"We don’t have confidence in the activities of the security agents in the state because we smell some high level of conspiracy. When the Commissioner of Police visited the two communities burnt down by the Ijaw, he saw the Ijaw boys with sophisticated weapons, but could not arrest any, even when he was aware that the cause of the fight was an attempt by the Urhobo boys of Iyama and Epame to stop the Ijaw boys from their usual oil theft (Illegal bunkering)," alleged the Urhobo youths.

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Niger Delta