BY IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
The people of Oke-Oroma Community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area ,Edo State, are accusing neighbouring Amagba and Obazagbon communities of planning to launch a fresh attack on them, despite parties made to sign a peace pact a year ago.
The new development, according to them, is a fallout from other similar attacks that led to the death of several members of the community.
Addressing newsmen recently in Benin City, a spokesperson for the Elders of the community, Monday Eghaghe said they were out to appeal to relevant authorities for a swift intervention to halt the impending attack.
Eghaghe alleged that, since March 17, 2012, till date, Amagba in connivance with Obazagbon has on several occasions and different dates alongside their contracted thugs, have maliciously attacked Oke-Oroma Community, leading to the serial killing of several unarmed members of the Oke-Oroma community, in a bid to falsely take possession of the community.
He also reiterated that, on August 12, 2021, Amagba and Obazagbon attacked Oke-Oroma at midnight, and as a result of this attack, nine people were arrested and detained.
He said, “very recently, Oke-Oroma on good information discovered that a fresh set of mercenaries hired by the Amagba community are in a hideout in preparation to launch another dangerous attack on the members, lives, and properties of the Oke-Oroma community”.
“Despite the peace agreement signed by both villages; Amagba has been unilaterally violating the same with ignominy and reckless abandon”.
He hinted that the confession of these individuals at the police station led to the arrest of one Joshua Edo from the Obazagbon community, who the thugs claimed to have ordered the attack.
According to him, the nine persons today, including Joshua Edo that allegedly ordered the said malicious operation have been set free and are walking freely in the street of Benin City, without trying any of them in a competent court or tribunal for the offense they admitted to having committed.
The Spokesman for the community maintained that, due to these several attacks, the Oke-Oroma community had on several occasions reported these incidences to all the security agencies in the State, where some of the agencies, especially Zone 5, Headquarters, Benin City, is still investigating some of the criminal offenses made by the Oke-Oroma community in their petitions against the three communities under reference whose consistent attacks led to series of wanton destruction of lives and property.
“In the course of Zone 5, investigating the matter and at their initiative, parties were made to sign a peace agreement, which the two communities had deliberately refused to comply with”, he noted.
Meanwhile, Isaac Momoh, a retired police officer and an indigent of the Community, says his life has become traumatized after waiting to get Justice that seems far away over his murdered wife during the alleged invasion by Amagba Community.
Momoh who returned home after 35-year of police duty in 2017, wanted to spend the rest of his life around his family is now a shadow of himself.
While speaking to our correspondent, on Friday at Oke-Oroma, he lamented that justice has not been served after years of his wife’s gruesome murder by some suspected people from the Amagba community.
A daughter of another victim, Felicia Monday, whose father, Monday Okhuolegbe an Octogeneran was abducted during one of their alleged onslaughts, has not been recovered since he was last seen.
She appealed to the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare 11, including all security and other relevant bodies to help recover the missing body of her father and bring to book those culpable.
Meanwhile, reacting to the allegation leveled through a Telephone conversation against the Amagba community, Youth leader, Peter Erinmwinose said he was out of the state, just as he noted that, the case was still in court refusing to comment further.
For close to a decade, the two communities have been locked in ownership rout.
And this has led to a series of attacks, killing scores of inhabitants from Oke Oroma, with property worth millions of naira razed.
However, Moves made by Security Agencies to resolve the lingering crisis including the recent peace pacts signed by all parties have been violated.
Amagba and Obazagbon by geographical locations are communities in Oredo local government Area, while Oke-Oroma community is in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area Separated by the Oroma River.
But It remains a puzzle to solve why these communities have continued to slug in ownership tussles.