From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The residents of Gbolemotin, an autonomous Ijaw community in Gbaran Clan, Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State, have tasked the state government and various security agencies in the state to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the incident that left several persons dead in their community.
The call was contained in a statement entitled: “The people of Gbolemotin community, setting the record straight on the crisis between Yoruba farmers and community indigenes in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State,” signed by Mr. Sunday Ekerekere on behalf of the community.
Recall that there was a clash between some alleged produce thieves believed to be Izon boys and some cocoa farmers in the locality.
It was gathered that the incident left many houses razed in an attack and counter attacks which the state Police Public Relations Officer, Joel Yamu, said: “five persons were confirmed dead while four others were injured in a clash.
Mr. Ekerekere said the picture of the crisis painted in the media about the Gbolemotin community was not true. So, they have decided to set the record straight.
Ekerekere said the people of Gbolemotin have lived peacefully with their neighbours over the years, and that a few decades ago, the Yoruba farmers encroached into their homeland and started planting cocoa trees.
Ekerekere added that initially this did not create any issues as the Yoruba farmers agreed to pay tokens for the areas they occupied while the indigenous farmers cultivated palm trees in the free areas allocated by the government for their livelihood.
He said at that time, the Yoruba farmers focused on cocoa farming within the free access belonging to the Ijaws and beyond.
He said, however, over time, the Yoruba farmers began expanding beyond the original areas they were allowed to plant, thereby encroaching on the free uncultivated lands reserved for Ijaw communities.
He said despite their repeated protests, they continued using their larger numbers and threats of government powers to dominate the farmlands.
He said as tensions grew, the cocoa farmers started accusing Ijaw farmers of stealing their cocoa seeds – an allegation that was completely unfounded, stressing that they went further to prevent the indigenes of Gbolemotin from passing through the roads and footpaths to other Ijaw communities.
He said whoever they sighted on the roads were labeled as thieves and beaten up in the process.
He said to enforce their dominance they formed a vigilance group that frequently harassed Izon farmers including women returning from their farms.
He alleged that the indigenes were always molested and their harvests were seized, adding that those acts of intimidation went unchecked largely because the local police in Iguobazuwa always took sides with the cocoa farmers and ignored their complaints.
While decrying that the narrative being pushed by cocoa farmers and widely reported in the media did not reflect the reality on ground, he said it was because their people had always been victims of intimidation, land encroachment, intimidation and violence for years, yet their voices had gone unheard.
He said they were, therefore, calling on the state government, security agencies and well meaning Nigerians to conduct a fair investigation into this matter and to understand that the Ijaw people of Gbolemotin have the right to live and farm on their lands in peace like every other indigenes of Edo State.
He said they are not aggressors, as they have only sought to protect their land, their lives and their livelihoods.
He further appealed to the state governor, Monday Okpebholo to set up an independent panel of inquiry to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crisis in order to prevent future occurrence.