…as Community disown youth over land grabbing
By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
A socio-cultural group, Benin Solidarity Movement ,( BSM), Worldwide has expressed its displeasure on the activities of some unscrupulous elements who parades themselves as Enigie, Odionweres, Ohens and Okaegheles in Benin KINGDOM.
The group in a statement , signed by it’s President Elder Curtis Eghosa Ugbo and made available to journalists in Benin City, frowned at the activities of one self-acclaimed Pastor Sunny Osahon Igbinosun who has constituted himself into a terrorist of some sort in Iguoshodin N’Ebudin, a community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The statement by BSM accused, ” Pastor Sunny Osahon Igbinosun of impersonation by claiming that he has been appointed the Okhaegele of the community by His Royal Majesty Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare11, N’Ogidigan, which is an aberration and abomination to the Benin Traditional Law and Custom.”
The Group also alleged that, “Sunny Osahon Igbinosun has also solely sold majority of the lands (measuring over 500 plots) in the community within 6-months and for which he has not been able to give good account of the land transactions to the Elders in Council of the Community, he decided to unleash terror on them”.
“It is alleged that in his desperation to cover his tracks he has resorted to turning loose on the People and Elders of the community to the extent that he has pursued those he considers as his enemies out of the Community.
He said, ” Traditionally, when an Odionwere dies, it is after 3-years the burial is done and the 2nd in command is sworn in as the New Odionwere who then decides who becomes the Okaeghele amongst the youths in the Community,
He continued, ” Iguoshodin N’Budin can not be an exception and an Okaeghele is selected by the Odionwere to assist the Elders in the day to day administrational affairs of the Community as instructed by the Odionwere of that Community and not the other way round.
“With these Pastor Sunny Osahon Igbinosun actions and inactions as stated above, and a few others who parades themselves as Enogies, Odionweres, Ohens and Okaegheles but operates contrary to the aspirations of the Benin Traditional Law and Customs in Benin Kingdom is a sure indication that His Royal Majesty Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare11, N’Ogidigan, needs to call them to order and should henceforth make all of them swear to an Oath of Loyalty in the Oba Benin Palace before they are allowed to function in their various capacities.
“We also call on the Law Enforcement Agencies to beam their searchlight on some unscrupulous individuals in the likes of Marxist Kola Edopkayi, Emmanuel Agbogun and others who operates under the guise of human rights activism in fueling crisis in the various Communities in Benin KINGDOM.
“The question to ask is are these self-acclaimed Human rights activists and their groups really recognised by way of legal registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC)?
“Because we have discovered in recent times that these self-acclaimed human rights activists, whose stock-in-trade is to act based on financial inducement, have shown a tendency to work at cross purposes with the Benin Traditional Council not minding that they claim to be of Benin extraction;
” Such instances are in Obaretin and Ologbo Communities in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, where the so called human rights activists of Benin extraction have not seen anything wrong in supporting an ursurper against the interest of the Benin KINGDOM.
“It would be of great importance if these marauding human rights activists are placed in check to avoid untoward outcome from their clandestine operation.” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Iguoshodin N’Ebudin, community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State. have disown one of their son, Pastor Sunny Osahon Igbinosun for allegedly forging papers of the Palace of Benin and selling the community land without the approval of the community elders.
The people of the community in a Save Our Soul, SOS, message to the Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare 11, Oba of Benin, to intervene in the unholy
activities of Pastor Sunny Osahon Igbinosun.
The community made the call during a town hall meeting at Iguoshodin N’Ebudin, community.
The community Leaders which consists of the elders, women and the youths appealed to the Royal Majesty , Oba Ewuare 11, to forgive them , for they are not party to the atrocities of Pastor Sunny Osahon Igbinosun.
Speaking to journalists in the community, Pa Uwuigbe Omoragbon, (Ozukpogieva, 2nd in command), in the community, said, he did not appoint Pastor Sunny Osahon as Okaeghele.
He said, Pastor Sunny Osahon drove the elders away from the community Hall, remove all the properties and locked up the place.
According to him, ” he claimed that our Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare 11, Oba of Benin, has made him the Okaeghele of our community.
Also speaking, Mrs Esther Ojo Osaigbovo, called on Royal father,
Oba Ewuare 11,to save them from the hand of Pastor Sunny Osahon,
” we are tired of him, he is not from our community.end.