Olodiama Ijaw Youths Writes Governor Obaseki To Call Obazuwa Community To Order

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By Binebai Princewill 

The Olodiama Kingdom structure of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has written a powerful rejoinder to His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, Governor of Edo State to call the people of Obazuwa to order for laying  false claim on their community. 

This was contained in a rejoinder signed and issued to newsmen in Benin city, capital of Edo State after an emergency meeting summoned by Chairman of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) of Olodiama Clan, Comr. Ebiwana Sam, a copy of which was sent to The Liberator Newspapers Worldwide. 

The Ijaw youths had warned that the people of Obazuwa Community have on several occasions attacked indigeges of Ikoro community in Olodiama Kingdom without any reprisal attacks on the part of Ikoro community, this according to him is a demonstration of their peaceful disposition as Ijaw people in Olodiama Kingdom. 

Ebiwana had in the statement told the Edo State Governor that their peaceful disposition should not be taken for granted as no one has the monopoly of violence, adding that a man would have no choice but to fight back when he is pushed to the wall. 

The statement had particularly called on security agencies in Edo State, the Governor and all well meaning individuals to wade into the matter by cautioning Obazuwa community to henceforth stop laying false claims on their community or perpetuating violence and their indigenes. 

The statement reads in full below:

COUNTER OF THEIR BASELESS PUBLICATION OR PRESS STATEMENT.

RE: OBAZUWA UTUGBERU COMMUNITY  SENT SOS TO GOVERNOR GODWIN OBASEKI AND OBA OF BENIN, OVER ATTACK FROM “THE IJAW SETTLERS” 

RESPONSE  FROM THE IJAW YOUTHS 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. 

IT IS TIME TO  MAKE IT CLEAR TO THIS SO CALL OBAZUWA COMMUNITY AND MR UGBO, FOR THE ENTIRE  WORLD TO ALSO BEAR US WITNESS THAT THE IJAW YOUTHS COUNCIL (IYC) EDO STATE CHAPTER, OLODIAMA CLAN, HEREBY CLEARLY STATE AS FOLLOWS:

WE THE GOOD, PEACE  LOVING PEOPLE OF IKORO COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN EXISTING IN IKORO COMMUNITY, FARMING, HUNTING AND FISHING ON OUR GOD GIVEN LANDS EVEN BEFORE THE EXISTENCE OF THE SO CALLED OBAZUWA COMMUNITY. 

THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF EVIDENCE THAT BACKED UP  THESE FACTS:

THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN NIGERIA ESTABLISHED IN THE YEAR 1880 IN IKORO COMMUNITY,  IKORO PRIMARY SCHOOL, IKORO, WAS FOUNDED IN THE YEAR 1917. 

THAT THE PEOPLE OF  OBAZUWA COMMUNITY WERE BROUGHT BY LATE CHIEF EZOMO TO FARM FOR HIS MOTHER SO THAT THERE WOULD BE ENOUGH FOOD IN HIS PALACE. THAT WAS AROUND 1946. THE EVIDENCE ARE THERE TO SHOW, EVEN MOST PEOPLE THAT ARE CLAIMING OBAZUWA COMMUNITY INDEGENES TODAY  ARE EVEN  URHOBO, AGBOR, CALABAR AND YORUBA.  FOR INSTANCE,  THEIR ODIONWEI  IS FROM ADO EKITI PATERNALLY AND AGBEDE MATERNALLY.

HOWEVER, THE IJAW OF IKORO COMMUNITY HAS BEEN ON THEIR LAND SINCE INCEPTION.  OUR GREAT,GREAT,GREAT GRAND FATHER ALL LIVED, DIED AND WERE BURIED ON THIS SAME LAND  HERE IN IKORO. 

BUT TODAY, THIS  OBAZUWA PEOPLE WHO ARE THE  REAL SETTLERS IN OUR LAND, CLAIM TO SHOW US THEIR GREAT, GREAT, GREAT GRAND FATHER’S GRAVE IN  OBAZUWA.

WE THE IJAWS BEING PEACE LOVING HAVE  ACCOMMODATED 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 REASON, WHY THIS SO CALLED OBAZUWA PEOPLE ARE STILL SETTLING IN OUR LAND UP TILL THIS DAY. 

NOW REGARDS TO THE FALSE ALLEGATIONS, ALLEGED AGAINST US,(IKORO YOUTHS) THAT THE YOUTHS OF IKORO COMMUNITY, CAME TO ATTACK THEM IN OBAZUWA WITH GUNS, CUTLASS AND OTHER WEAPONS, IT IS BASELESS AND CALLS FOR LAUGHTER  BECAUSE THAT IS THEIR USUAL WAY OF LIES, JUST TO GET FAVOUR FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. 

AT THIS JUNCTURE, THERE IS THE NEED TO  DRAW YOUR  ATTENTION  BACK TO THE PREVIOUS ATTACK, WHERE THEY  ATTACKED OUR BROTHERS FEW MONTHS AGO AND IT WAS POSTED ON FACEBOOK TO LET THE ENTIRE WORLD KNOW WHAT OBAZUWA PEOPLE DID TO SOME OF OUR IJAW YOUTHS (IKORO) ON THEIR WAY GOING TO BENIN CITY WHERE THEY WERE ATTACKED   WITH CUTLASS AND OTHER DANGEROUS WEAPONS, BRUTALLY INJURED  TO THE POINT OF DEATH,, SPENT SEVERAL DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL, BEFORE THEY COULD RECOVER. MIND YOU ,WE HAVE EVIDENCE ON ALL THESE, BOTH THE HOSPITAL REPORT AND THE POLICE REPORT ON THIS. AND NONE OF THE IKORO YOUTHS, YOUTHS,WENT TO THEIR COMMUNITY ON REPRISAL  ATTACK  OF THE OBAZUWA PEOPLE FOR REVENGE. 

EVEN WHEN THE POLICE TRIED TO CALL THEM  REGARDING THE CASE,THEY EQUALLY REFUSE TO ANSWER THE POLICE INVITATION. 

SOME TIME AGO, THIS SO CALLED OBAZUWA PEOPLE,WOKE UP ONE MORNING,TO BLOCK OUR ONLY ACCESS ROAD THAT LEAD TO OUR COMMUNITY AND THE CITY, WITHOUT NO REASON, IT WAS THE INTERVENTION OF POLICE AND DSS, THAT LED TO THE  UNBLOCKING OF THE ROAD THAT PERIOD.  THE EVIDENCE IS THERE TOO. 

SO IF THIS PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT 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. THIS IS BECAUSE THE  OBAZUWA PEOPLE LIVE COMFORTABLY IN THEIR HOUSES, AND FARM ON OUR LAND WITHOUT ANY ATTACK OR FORM OF OPPRESSION FROM THE IJAWS.

IF OUR CLAIM IS  FALSE, WE CHALLENGE THEM TO  PROVE THEIR CLAIM TO THE PUBLIC. 

THIS SAME OBAZUWA PEOPLE HAVE HELD SEVERAL MEETINGS. NEGOTIATING AND HAVE OPEN AN ACCOUNT TO  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. 

WE DARE THEM TO CHALLENGE AND PROVE US WRONG ON THIS, LET US ALSO SHOCK THE WORLD. DUE TO THEIR EVIL ACT, THEY ARE NOT AT PEACE WITH ALL THEIR NEIGHBOURING COMMUNITIES. EVIDENCE TO THIS FACT CAN ALSO BE CONFIRMED FROM EGBAN, EVOBLEKEP AND IGBOBI COMMUNITIES. 

BASED ON THIS, WE THE IJAW YOUTHS COUNCIL,( IYC) ,EDO STATE CHAPTER, WANT TO USE THIS MEDIUM TO CALL ON ALL SECURITY AGENTS, ACROSS THE STATE, AND THE STATE GOVERNOR MR GODWIN OBASEKI,TO CALL THIS OBAZUWA PEOPLE TO ORDER,AND ONE MR UGBO,TO STOP TAGGING IJAW WITH BAD NAMES. 

WE ARE PEACE LOVING  PEOPLE, WE DON’T TAKE WHAT DOESN’T BELONG TO US,. OUR LAND REMAIN OUR LAND. EVERYTHING ABOUT IJAWS ARE TRUTH. THE FULL MEANING OF IJAW IS TRUTH. 

WE WANT TO ALSO USE THIS MEDIUM TO PLEAD WITH THE EDO STATE GOVERNOR AND ALL SECURITY AGENCIES,TO PLEASE HELP US TO TALK OR WARN ALL THE BINI COMMUNITIES TO PLEASE  STAY CLEAR FROM EVERY IJAW COMMUNITIES OR LAND IN THE STATE, ENOUGH BECAUSE WE WILL NOT AND SHALL NOT TAKE IT LIKELY  ANYMORE. THIS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PUSHING US TO THE WALL FOR 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 HAVE EAR 👂 LET HIM/HER HEAR! 

SIGN, COMRADE SAM EBIWANA, CHAIRMAN IJAW YOUTHS COUNCIL (IYC) EDO STATE CHAPTER, OLODIAMA CLAN.

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