BLOODY DAY
• 10 persons killed, many injured as communities
clash over land
By CHRIS ANUCHA
Thursday, May
8 , 2008
 |
•A
vandalized church
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
| |
The people of Iyesi in Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos
State would always remember Monday, April 28, 2008. That was
the day their community was turned to a battlefield, in a
clash between their youths and youths from Ilogbo, better
known in the area as the Aworis (land owners).
The war, allegedly launched by some youths from a particular
family in Ilogbo, Daily Sun gathered, was "to reclaim
our land given to the Eguns (Iyesi) by our forefathers,"
spilled over to Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30.
By the time the dust settled, 10 persons were feared dead,
many injured, others missing, and property worth millions
of naira, including churches, houses and vehicles damaged.
Though the two factions tried to play down the casualty figures,
Daily Sun investigations revealed that not less than 10 persons
lost their lives in the fracas.
For instance, Iyesi community Secretary, Hodonu Avoseh, said
only two persons, Paul Agos and Yedenu Vodonu, were killed
by thugs from Idogbo, while Chief N.O. Ashade, Babaloja of
Ilogbo, gave names of two persons killed by Iyesi youths,
as Obanla Joshua and Idowu Odu.
Both of them, however, admitted that many received machete
cuts or gunshots and were receiving treatment at various hospitals.
The rampaging thugs, from Ilogbo, went to the extreme as they
allegedly invaded Ibukun parish, Iyeshi, of the Celestial
Church, which is the Divisional Headquarters of Celestial
churches in the area and vandalized the building.
When Daily Sun visited Iyeshi community recently, it was a
ghost town, as the inhabitants had fled to neighbouring villages
or towns for fear of being attacked.
The brave ones among them, who chose to lock themselves in
their houses, to peep through their windows as to observe
movements in the community.
The fear-stricken few, who spoke to the reporter said they
were still afraid. "They usually carry out heir attacks
at nights. You hear sound of gun and people yelling,"
one of them said.
Even those who stayed back in the community were stranded,
as movements of people, vehicles, motorcycles were minimal.
Those who have vehicles and motorcycles, who were caught up
in the crossfire, could not see where to fuel their automobile
as the five filling stations in the area were shut and the
workers fled to safety.
A veteran film maker, Chief Eddie Ugbomah, who had been living
in Iyesi community for more than 21 years, expressed concern
that the once peaceful community had been turned to battlefield.
Ugbomah, who has a school where people are trained in film
production, said his students had deserted the area while
he and his children were stranded and at risk, as he could
not see himself fleeing the area.
"At my age, where will I run to with my children who
just lost their mother recently?" he asks rhetorically.
He said he was not taking side with any of the factions, but
stressed the need to nip the crisis in the bud. He, however,
told Daily Sun that nonindigenes living in the area would
soon meet to discuss the security situation in the community.
Friday Uzor, the first vice chairman of Association of Table
Water Producers of Nigeria, who owns a satchet water factory,
lamented the closure of his factory for three days, as the
security of his staff was not guaranteed. He explained that
the losses he incurred because of the clash were unquantifiable.
Narrating the genesis of the crisis, one of the residents
said the problem was between Idasha family, Ilogbo and Iyesi
people (Egun). He said the matter started in 2003 when members
of Idasha family attempted to chase them out of the land,
claiming that it was their forefathers that gave the land
to their (Iyesi) forefathers.
Hodonu Avoseh also gave further insight into how the land
disputes began.
He said: "It started five years ago. This land belongs
to our forefathers, but the Aworis said the land belonged
to them."
He explained how their opponents tried to take over the community
and rename it Iyesidaja community, which made them to go to
court three years ago. The matter, he said, is still in court.
He expressed surprise that at about 11 am last Monday, their
opponents invaded the area, bringing alongside with them four
surveyors and armed policemen suspected to have come from
the Special Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti,
Yaba, Lagos, saying they were there to survey the land.
"Fifteen minutes after they left, their thugs arrived
with guns, machetes and charms, beating up people, inflicting
machete cuts on them, they killed some people," Avoseh
said.
Chief Ashade told Daily Sun that efforts made in the past
by all obas in Lagos to resolve the crisis between the two
communities failed.
He explained that the obas asked for the documents that showed
where the Eguns paid royalty to the Aworis, adding that Iyesi
community absented itself from the meeting convened by the
obas to settle their differences.
Ashade said: "Iyesi community didn’t attend the
meeting. Instead, they sent their lawyer and the obas advised
the Aworis to go to court instead of resorting to violence.
The Idashi didn’t go to court."
He said the traditional rulers in Ilogbo got information recently
that the youths were planning to attack Iyesi community, adding
that the oba warned the Aworis not to carry out the attack.
Meanwhile, residents of Iyesi community have blamed the insecurity
in the area on the Nigeria police, accusing them of living
up to their expectations. For instance, when Daily Sun visited
the two communities, no single policeman was seen in the street.
Residents said they only patrolled the troubled zone and leave.
|
