Residents of 19 oil-producing communities in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on Friday protested alleged encroachment on their ancestral lands by people from neighbouring communities in Delta State.
The protesters, who represented the affected coastal communities, urged the Ondo State Government to urgently intervene in the dispute and engage its Delta State counterpart to prevent the disagreement from escalating into an inter-state crisis.
The communities are located within Ugbo Kingdom and include Odun Ebiwon, Odun Makin, Ilu Titun, Odun Odunjo, Odun Maha, Eke Nla, Eke Kekere, Ubajakere, Eke Itiola and Odun Okoro.
Others are Odun Yonren, Odun Beku, Odun Ogungbeje, Odun Oyinbo, Odun Oriretan, Ubale Kekere, Ubale Nla, Ikuyinminu and Odun Igo.
During the protest, the residents sang solidarity songs and displayed placards asserting their identity and ownership of the communities.
Some of the inscriptions read: “Odun Makin Community belongs to Ugbo in Ilaje LGA, Ondo State,” “We Don’t Want Crisis in Our Land,” “Oretan Community belongs to Ugbo Kingdom in Ondo State,” “Ilaje People Are Peace-Loving, We Say No to Inter-State Crisis,” and “Ebiwon Community is Ondo State.”
Speaking on behalf of the communities, a leader, Busayo Ebiniyi, alleged that the affected areas had come under repeated pressure from neighbouring communities in Delta State because of their economic value, particularly their oil and other mineral resources.
Ebiniyi said the protest was intended to draw government attention to the situation, reduce tensions and prevent a breakdown of law and order.
He added that community leaders had been consulting relevant government authorities and traditional institutions in an effort to resolve the dispute peacefully.
“This development has come to threaten the peace of our people, all because of the mineral resources discovered in our communities in Ugbo Kingdom, Ilaje Local Government,” he said.
The community leader said the affected residents would continue to pursue dialogue, stressing that the Ilaje people had maintained peaceful relations with their neighbours for generations.
He, however, insisted that the communities would resist what he described as intimidation and suppression.
“This land is our collective heritage and patrimony. Therefore, while we embrace peace, we will not subject ourselves to suppression and intimidation from people we regard as friends but who may have hidden interests,” Ebiniyi said.
He appealed to the Ondo State Government to engage the Delta State Government on the matter, saying the residents did not want people from Delta State to enter their communities over the disputed lands.
Another community leader, Ebiwonjumi Olumide, said the affected communities had historically remained part of Ugbo Kingdom in Ilaje Local Government Area and had existed for generations under the authority of the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom.
Olumide rejected claims linking the communities to Delta State, saying the residents possessed historical and political records to support their position.
“We have evidence and proof. We possess historical records and political evidence that support our ownership of this land,” he said.
He cited projects executed in the area by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission between 1999 and 2003, as well as a school built during the administration of former Governor Olusegun Agagu and a walkway constructed during the tenure of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
Also speaking, another leader, Orimisan Ebiwanjuwon, called for stronger government presence in the riverine communities through improved infrastructure and security.
He urged the government to erect official Ondo State boundary signboards in the area and provide modern housing, hospitals, potable water and adequate security.
Responding to the development, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, said the state government would examine the matter.
“The government would look into the matter. We will ensure peace continues to reign among our people,” Ajanaku said.
