Re: Obazuwa Utugberu Community send SOS to Governor Godwin Obaseki and Oba of Benin, over "attack" from the Ijaw settlers

Re: Obazuwa Utugberu Community send SOS to Governor Godwin Obaseki and Oba of Benin, over "attack" from the Ijaw settlers

Response from the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Edo State Chapter, Olodiama Clan (a very serious warning)

We just want to put the record straight. In responding to the above, baseless publication or press statement that was made by Obazuwa community, I think we should make it clear to this so called Obazuwa Community and Cultis Ugbo, for the entire world to also bear us witness, that the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Edo State Chapter Olodiama Clan, hereby clearly state as follows.

We the good, peace and loving people of Ikoro Community were existing in Ikoro Community, farming, hunting and fishing on those lands even before the existence of this so called Obazuwa Community, and we have a lot of evidence that back up all these facts.

Now these are the facts. The first baptist church in Nigeria established in the year 1880, was in Ikoro community, while Ikoro primary school, Ikoro, was founded in the year 1917. The people of Obazuwa Community were brought by late Chief Ezomo, to farm for his mother so that there will be enough food in his palace. That was around 1946. The evidence is there to show. Even most people that are claiming to be Obazuwa Community indigenes today are Urhobo, Agbor, Calabar and Yoruba, like their Odionwere who is from Ado Ekiti paternally and Agbede maternally.

However, the Ijaw people of Ikoro community have been on this land since time immemorial, and even our great, great, great grandfathers lived on this land, before their deaths and they were buried on this same land too here in Ikoro, but today, I dare Obazuwa people who are real settlers in our land to show us their great, great, great grandfathers graves in Obazuwa.

We the Ijaw being peace loving people acomodated the Obazuwa people on our land, because the law did not permit us to chase anybody away in a particular place or land that they have settled in, that is one of the biggest reasons why these so called Obazuwa people are still settling in our land up to this minute.

Now, as regards to the false allegation made against us (Ikoro youths) that the youths of Ikoro Community came to attack them in Obazuwa with guns, cutlasses and other weapons, I laugh at them, because that is their usual way of lies, just to get favor from the public. 

At this juncture, I think I should take the attention of the people back to the previous attack that Obazuwa people launched on our brothers a few months ago. I came on Facebook at the time, to let the entire world know what Obazuwa people did to some of our Ijaw youths from Ikoro, on their way to Benin City, in which Obazuwa people attacked our brothers, with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons, brutally injuring them almost to the point of death, after which they spent several days in the hospital before they could recover. Mind you, we have evidence on all of this, both the hospital report and the police report on this, and none of the Ikoro youths, I repeat none of the Ikoro youths, went to their Community or attacked any of the Obazuwa people to revenge. Even when the police tried to invite Obazuwa people as regards this case, they equally refused to answer the police invitation, and some time ago, these so called Obazuwa people woke up one morning to block our only access road that lead to our community and the city, for no just reason. It was the intervention of the police and DSS that lead to the unblocking of the road during that period, and there is also evidence for that too, so if these people are talking about an attack, it looks as if they don't know what they are saying or doing, or maybe they don't know the meaning of the word "attack", because these so called Obazuwa people live comfortably in their houses, and farm on our land without any attack or form of oppression from the Ijaws.

If what I am saying is false, I challenge them to prove their claim to the public.These same Obazuwa people have held several meetings, negotiated with and have opened an account for collecting millions of naira from the land developers, yet they could come to the public to deny and claim ignorance of sale of any land. I dare Obazuwa people to challenge and prove me wrong on this. Let me also shock the world. Due to Obazuwa people's evil minds, they are not in peace with all their neighboring communities around them. Evidence to this fact can also be confirmed from Egban, Evoblekep and Igbobi communities. 

Based on this, we the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Edo State Chapter, want to use this medium to call on all security aparatus across the state, and the state Governor Mr Godwin Obaseki, to call these Obazuwa people to order, and one Cultis Ugbo, to stop tagging Ijaw with bad names. We are a peace loving people. We don't take what does not belong to us. Our land remains our land. Everything about Ijaw are true, because the full meaning of Ijaw is "truth", and I want to also use this medium to plead with the Edo State Governor and all security agencies, to please help us to talk to or warn all the Bini communities to please stay away from every Ijaw community or land in the state, because we will not and shall not take it lightly anymore. These people have been pushing us to the wall for too long. The fact that we are patient or calm does not mean we don't know our rights. A word is enough for the wise. He that has ears, let him hear.

Signed: Comrade Sam Ebiwana, Chairman, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Edo State Chapter, Olodiama Clan.