Trouble in two Delta communities over ownership of oil territory

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Trouble is brewing in Sapele- Okpe and Otonyasere communities, both in Sapele Local Government Area, Delta State, over the ownership of oil-rich Otonyasere land

The Liberator gathered that the renewed hostility started when the youths of Otonyasere, led by their Public Relations Officer, Prince Orhomunokpai, attacked their Sapele-okpe counterparts who had stopped over recently to issue a 72-hour quit notice to settlers.

It was also gathered that that some natives of Otonyasere erected structures close to an oil rig in the territory for commercial purpose and the matter was already a subject of litigation.

Chairman and Secretary of Sapele- Okpe community, Chief Onoriode and Otugwoh Andrew, respectively, in a petition to the Police, 19 Battalion of the Nigerian Army and Department of State Services, DSS, accused Otonyasere youths of attacking Sapele Okpe community youths and destroying the community’s bus.

They alleged that they built the contentious structure on Sapele-Okpe land, pointing fingers at Otonyasere chair, Dr. Austin Arieja, for violating an agreement signed between both communities at Government House Annex, Warri, not to disrupt Seplat activities until court gives judgment

But Orhomunokpai, who claimed that Otonyaswere, Ogodo, Etamua and Egborode were sub-communities under Sapele-Okpe community retorted, “we won in court and they took us to Court of Appeal.”

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