By Job Osazuwa
There is palpable tension in Emu Ebendo and Obodougwa Ogume communities in Ndokwa West Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State, over a letter purportedly written by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Mallami (SAN).
The letter dated June 10, which was made available to Daily Sun, reviewed a Supreme Court judgment on a land dispute between both communities, advising the oil companies operating on the land to recognise Obodougwa Ogume as host community and Emu Ebendo (who won the case) as impacted community.
Meanwhile, Ebendo indigenes and other concerned stakeholders in the state have attributed the ongoing tension and communal clashes in the area to what they described as contradiction in the alleged letter to the traditional ruler of Obodougwa-Ogume by the AGF.
However, many of the indigenes have questioned the real source of the letter, wondering why the minister would take such a position on a case that had already been concluded by the Supreme Court.
The Chairman, Emu Ebendo Community Development Committee (CDC), Mr. Ozonor Godwin, said the letter came as a surprise to every right-thinking person because of its contradictory content.
He further explained that the last two paragraphs of the letter did not show that whoever wrote it had a legal background, considering the clarity in the court ruling over 30 years ago. He said Ebendo would certainly react at the right time, while assuring that the community will maintain peace, irrespective of the several attacks on his people.
In his welcome address during the Ugwa Day celebrations on July 25, the CDC chairman of Obodougwa, Mr. Anslem Oyibo, alleged marginalisation and refusal to treat his community as landlord by Energia Limited, as a result of wrong enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment.
He said: “The celebration started in commemoration of the July 25, 2019, when the High Court of Justice Ozoro, in suit no HCK/52/2018, while interpreting the legendary Supreme Court decision between Emu Ebendo and Obodougwa communities in appeal no SC/80/1997, held that the judgment of the Supreme Court is limited to Oluiji and Iyiachi land, and that its enforcement must be limited to the said land.
“This judgment finally laid to rest the misconception that Obodougwa is (was) part and parcel of Ebendo. The interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment is an assertion of the Obodougwa community’s ownership of all lands outside the areas litigated on, including the present location of Energia facilities.”
He further said that the letter from the AG was the reason for their celebrations.
The letter, Daily Sun learnt, was transmitted to the oil companies in the area for their action.
(Continued on www.sunnewsonline.com)
When contacted, Ebendo Legal Committee head, Mr. Benard Odagwe, said if the area the oil companies are located was not part of Ebendo, the Supreme Court would not have mandated Obodougwa Ogume to return the money it was erroneously paid by the company from inception.
He further clarified that the area disputed and won was the Oluji and Iyiachi farmland (as stated in the alleged letter from the AGF) and, currently, the oil companies are operating on Oluji farmland, as clearly shown in the litigation map. Such a letter paraded by Obodugwa, he said, has a lot of questions, even as he expressed shock that the minister was handling a land issue which, he noted, is within the jurisdiction of the state Attorney General.
Odagwe added that there was no controversy over the land, stressing that Emu Ebendo had obtained a writ of possession from the court on the land.
He said the only issue left to be resolved between Ebendo and Obodougwa was the delineation of the area verged yellow in the litigation map, which Ebendo gave to their forefathers to settle and farm on, as expressly confirmed by the High Court in Ozoro.
In a telephone interview, the former CDC chairman of Obodugwa, Mr. Raymond Emah, said he didn’t not know anything on the issue and, therefore, couldn’t comment further.