Tension has gripped residents of Ogbe-Ijoh community in Delta State as angry youths, under the auspices of the Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom Interest and Defensive Forum, are protesting the alleged destruction of houses in the area over boundary adjustment.
It was gathered that the aggrieved youths are accusing the chairmen of Udu and Warri South West Local Government Areas, Jite Brown and Taiye Tuoyo respectively “of unlawful destruction of houses in Ogbe-Ijoh community in the name of a boundary adjustment.”
Sources said the protesting youths, while faulting the genuineness of the Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh boundary committee, gave the two council chairmen seven days ultimatum within which to rebuild the destroyed houses, “to avoid a showdown.”
It was gathered that the group reportedly faulted the purported boundary committee for not seeking the consent of the Ogbe-Ijoh community before embarking on the destruction of some buildings in the community.
According to sources, the group maintained that the boundary committee, which is being touted as having the mandate of Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, is “fake and illegal.”
The group also urged the state governor to “call the purported boundary committee to order and focus on local government boundary adjustment between Udu and Warri South West LGAs and not communal issues.”
The group also urged the two council chairmen to “work in line with the government decision regarding the boundary adjustment of the affected communities and not follow their illegal arrangement which may incite more crises in the area.”
A statement from the group read partly, “The grand commandant of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom Interest and Defensive Forum, Gen. Powode Ikoro; Action Chairman, Francis Oromoni; Endurance Ogbe and National President of OIDF, Okosu Smart, and others led Ogbe-Ijoh youths to verify purported boundary areas but to our surprise, three of Ogbe-Ijoh buildings were demolished without the consent of the owners and even the Ogbe-Ijoh people.”
