Edo community absolves self of blame in communal clash

The residents of the Gbelemotin community in the Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State have absolved themselves of blame in the recent killings in the area as a result of a clash between some migrant cocoa farmers and Izon boys accused of stealing farm produce.

The Edo State Command had, while confirming the clash, said that five people lost their lives in the clash that also led to the burning of houses and other property .

This was just as the Command’s spokesman, Moses Yamu, assured that the Command was on the trail of the perpetrators and would bring all of them to book.

A statement issued by the Gbelemotin community on Sunday said the indigenes of the community had always been victims of the migrant Yoruba cocoa farmers, who had many years ago encroached their land to plant cocoa.

The community added that the migrant cocoa farmers, as a way of settlement, agreed to pay a token to the Gbelemotin community for planting their cash crops.

The statement, endorsed by Karaem Evimibowei and made available to journalists in Benin on Sunday, alleged that over time, the Yoruba migrant cocoa farmers formed the habit of attacking their youths through a vigilante group they set up.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE : Edo community commences land verification exercise

The statement stressed that the harassment of the Gbelemotin indigenes continued because the farmers appeared to have the backing of some powerful people in the government.

The statement, which chronicled how they had been harassed over the years, stated that over time, the Yoruba farmers began expanding beyond the original areas they were allowed to plant, thereby encroaching on the free uncultivated lands reserved for Ijaw communities

Tension grew in the community when the Yoruba farmers started accusing the Ijaw farmers of stealing their cocoa, an allegation the community denied.

“They went further to prevent indigenes of Gbelemotin from passing through the roads and footpaths leading to other Ijaw communities”, the statement added

It stated that many of the indigenes were labelled as thieves, beaten up and injured, and women were also not spared in those attacks.

The community also alleged that the migrant farmers formed a vigilante group headed by one Igbala, which they had been using to enforce their plans against the indigenes.

The statement reads: “The situation took a deadly turn last year when a young Ijaw man, a married man and father of children, was murdered by the vigilante group while returning from a funeral in Jide village.

“When an eyewitness of that incident accompanied a delegation from one of the communities went to the police to report the killing and seek justice, he was unjustly arrested on false charges, further confirming that the authorities were not on our side.”

Ebimobobowei claimed that not long after that, an Urhobo youth who climbed to harvest wild palm trees was shot dead by a vigilante, and the matter was allegedly swept under the carpet by the police.

The statement said that what caused the latest killings was that Ijaw youths went to rescue their people when they heard they were attacked, and in the process, they were ambushed again by the cocoa farmers and their vigilante

“When news of the attack reached the village, the youths were outraged; they mobilised to search for their missing brothers, hoping to rescue some that may have survived the onslaught.

“While searching the bushes, they were ambushed again by the vigilante group. However, they managed to fight back and successfully rescued two seriously wounded victims who had been left for dead.

“At the end, we lost four of our youth, two of whose bodies were taken away by the murderous and escaping vigilantes led by an Ikale man named Igbala, who happened to be the Head of the Vigilantes. Several other youths of Gbelemotin returned with gunshot injuries.

“It is necessary to point out that this same Igbala is fond of using his powers as a vigilante to harass both women and youth as they move daily on the earth’s roads”.

Ebimobobowei said the narrative being spread by the cocoa farmers portraying the Gbelemotin indigenes as the aggressors was not true and urged the government and security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation, insisting that as Ijaw, they “have the right to live peacefully and work in their homeland.”