A land dispute war may soon break out again between Okia, an oil rich community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, and the people of Ageh, a community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The two communities have been at each other’s throat since December 26, 2006.
The several court cases they have engaged in, The Eagle Online gathered, have not prevented Ageh people from allegedly invading Okia community and displacing over 400 indigenes, turning them to refugees in virtually all the South South states of the country.
The lingering crisis has forced the Chairman of Okia community, Pius Gbeneyei, to wonder why Ageh people were using “might is right” to drive Okia people away from their ancestral home.
Gbeneyei further expressed dismay at the way and manner Ageh people called a bluff of the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which ordered them to vacate the land.
He explained that since the natural boundary between Okia and Ageh as well as Delta and Bayelsa States was River Remos, Ageh people have no other option than to vacate the land and stop deluding themselves with their large population.
He hinted that the ploy by Ageh people was to prevent the Shell Petroleum Development Company from obeying the court judgement that ordered it to pay compensation to Okia community.
Gbeneyei said if not for the fear of further attack by militants from Ageh, coupled with the fact that Okia people did not want to take the law into their hands, the war would have since taken a notorious dimension.
He said: “That Ageh people have not vacated the land amounts to court contempt.
“My appeal to the Delta State Government today is to take steps and ask the JTF to return our people to their land.
“The Court of Appeal has given its judgment, let everyone obey it.
“A court had earlier given a judgment against them, ordering Ageh people to leave our land, but they have continued to defy that judgment.
“Since the crisis started, people have died.
“We can only talk of the four that died at the initial part but hardship has claimed more lives.
“We can’t continue to live in another man’s land.
“The land we are talking about is Delta State’s land.”
Gbeneyei lamented that the revenue accruing from the controversial land was going to Bayelsa State, maintaining: “The time to act is now.
“Not that we are afraid of what will happen, but we want to pursue our case intellectually first before we put a permanent stop to the invasion.”
Gbeneyei called on Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State to urgently provide security that would return them to their land before the matter escalates again.
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