The people of Oke-Oroma community in Ikpoba-Okha LGA of Edo State have appealed to the state government; the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II; the police and all relevant authorities to help restore peace in the area.
Speaking with journalists, the community’s Secretary, Monday Edo Omorogiuwa, noted that peace had eluded the area since 2012 when the neighbouring Amagba community allegedly invaded it.
He said the matter was reported to the then Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, who constituted a panel of chiefs led by Chief Eduwu Ekhator, the Obasogie of Benin Kingdom, to look into it, and that the palace thereafter resolved on July 23, 2012, that the status quo be maintained with the natural boundary, the Oroma River, remaining the boundary between the two villages.
He further said, “Both villages earlier in 2020 had a peace meeting with the Commissioner of Police, and in 2021 another peace meeting at the instance of the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AlG) Zone 5, Benin, was held, and in all these meetings undertakings to refrain from violence were duly signed.
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“Also, the matter is in court with an order of interlocutory injunction before the Edo State Private Property Protection Committee, but all these peace efforts have not yielded any positive result as the attacks on our community continue.”
He noted that in all the attacks on the community, property was destroyed and people killed. He, therefore, called on the oba and relevant authorities to help restore peace to enable “our people who fled return to their ancestral homes.”
On its part, the Amagba community, through Elder Peter Erhinmwinorose, denied the claim, saying Oke-Oroma were crying foul while pretending to be victims when they were trying to annex their (Amagba) lands as their property.
He said, “There is no village known as Oko-Oroma in Benin Kingdom; what is in existence is Ago-Emokpae (Emokpae’s Camp), which was founded by one of our past Odionwere (village heads), Erese Adolor.
“At a point, they dragged us to the palace of the Oba of Benin, and the then monarch, Oba Erediauwa, said Oke-Oroma was a camp under Amagba Adolor, hence that he could not make it an autonomous community.
“They wanted to make the Emokpae Camp an autonomous community, but Amagba said, ‘No’; that it remains a camp under Enogie Amagba Adolor. Since then they have continued to wage war against them, killing and maiming the people there.
“Emokpae’s father lived in the camp for decades and there was never any trouble. So, it is shocking that his son is creating all manner of crises in the place.”
He added that, “The land actually belongs to Amagba Adolor. We have two amagba. Amagba Ekengbuda and Amagba Adolor; divided by the river, and they were duly documented in the Mid-Western State, and also the Bendel State gazette.
“We own the land; it is not about the falsified documents they are pushing in the media. They have refused to listen to the Oba of Benin on the matter.
“The river they are talking about is not a boundary between the Emokpae family and Amagba Akengbuda, rather, it is a boundary between Amagba I and Amagba II, separating the two dukedoms of Enogie Akengbuda and Enogie Adolor.”
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