Two Injured, Four Houses Burnt in Renewed Ogbe-Ijoh, Aladja Communal Crisis

Two Injured, Four Houses Burnt in Renewed Ogbe-Ijoh,  Aladja Communal Crisis

Gun shots ricocheted ceaselessly; residents fled in different directions in the early hours of today as Ijaw natives of Ogbe Ijoh in Warri South West Local Government Area and Urhobo people of Udu Local Government Area of Delta State engaged each other in a gun battle less than 24 hours after the state government met with their leaders and was assured the peace over boundary disputes which had claimed several lives would be maintained.

It was revealed that the resumed gunfight reportedly left two persons injured and four houses burnt.

Youth leaders from both communities however accused each other's community of being the aggressor, claiming that their people were victims of unprovoked attack from the other community.

The state Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, relocated the state security council meeting from Asaba, the state capital, to Warri last Wednesday where he and security chiefs met  community leaders from Gbaramatu and Ogbe-Ijoh kingdoms as well as those of Aladja.

The two neighbouring communities had promised to sheath their swords and give peace a chance.

But trouble started again early yesterday when Ijaw youths from Ogbe-Ijoh allegedly stormed the outer flanks of their neighbouring Aladja community, shooting sporadically and burning some houses. Aladja is an Urhobo community in Udu kingdom.

While the youth President of Aladja, Wisdom Onotomre, claimed that the attack on his community at about 5 a.m. was unprovoked, the youth president of Ogbe-Ijoh said the attack was provoked by an earlier attack at about 6 a.m. by Aladja persons, leaving two persons injured.

"The Ogbe-Ijoh people attacked us at about 5 a.m. they have even burnt four houses. Although we are thanking God that there has not been any casualty, but they are still in our community, shooting," he said.

When asked what must have caused the renewed fight, Onatomre said: "Nothing caused this new attack, we were sleeping when we heard gunshots."

Reacting to the allegation however, the youth President of Ogbe-Ijoh, Edwin Aken, said the attack was provoked by an earlier one during which the Aladja attackers left two persons injured.

"If they say Ogbe-Ijoh people attacked them, that is a very wrong statement. They were the ones who attacked Ogbe-Ijoh at about 6:15 this morning. They came to attack and definitely nobody will fold his arms and watch when they are coming to kill him. So it was in retaliation to what they did. Ogbe-Ijoh didn't just go to attack them, they attacked us first.

"When they attacked, two people were injured and that was what brewed the anger in the boys because His Highness Pere of Ogbe-Ijoh has always asked us not to attack them, but when they come to injure our people, some of the boys may not be patient enough to give a report, but would rather engage them."

Meanwhile, heavily armed soldiers have been drafted to the two neighbouring communities to compliment the mobile policemen stationed in the marked buffer zone in the area to ensure return of peace.