Tony Osauzo, Benin
Trouble is brewing in Ologbo, a boundary town between Edo and Delta states. Ologbo is in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.
What started as disagreement over payment of development levy has degenerated to a crisis between some Itsekiri settlers and the Bini. This resulted in the Enogie of Ologbo Dukedom, Prince Owen Jason Akenzua, abandoning his palace and many residents fleeing the community.
Trouble started on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, when four indigenes of the community were sent by the Lands and Housing Committee to ask a land developer why he refused to perform the customary Emolu. He said he did not have facility to perform the Emolu and decided to monetise it.
Enogie said: “Committee members asked the developer to pay N100,000 and he pleaded to pay N30,000. The discussions were still on going when one Giwa son of Chief Johnson Atseleghe, the Iyatshere of Warri, who settled in Ologbo in 1994, came and attacked committee members. “He said Enogie has no jurisdiction over that part of the land and as such, they have no right to demand Emolu. He chased the members to the palace where they took refuge. He made attempts to gain entry into the palace, which caused damages to the gates.
“Later that same evening, Iyore Osaghae was assaulted and he is currently receiving treatment. The matter was reported at Ologbo Police Station. On the evening of Wednesday, March 4, 2020, one Amama in company of Oluwa and Fovour, allegedly shot and killed one Okomose Omorodion.
“Following the crisis, the Commissioner of Police invited me with Chief Johnson Atseleghe, the Iyatshere of Warri, and we signed a peace accord in Benin on Thursday, March 5, 2020.
“The Secretary to the Edo State Government invited me and Atseleghe to his residence in Benin, where he sued for peace in Ologbo. But that the following day, March 8, 2020, the violence escalated, they went to the community PCRC chairman’s house and opened fire, killing one Genesis Ojeh and injured several others.”
Enogie chronicled other incidents to include the destruction of cars belonging to the Odionwere of Ologbo, Sam Ogie, adding that the gatehouse in his compound was also set on fire.
He claimed that Atseleghe’s attitude and posture became noticeable in 1994 when he took up residency in Ologbo: “In 1995, he wrote a letter to Enogie, my father, who was installed Enogie Ologbo by Omo n’Oba Erediauwa on January 1, 1988, when the Duchy of Ologbo was created by the Oba.
“The letter was titled ‘Warning’. It was addressed to ‘the so-called Enogie’ and clearly shows that he does not accept the office of the Enogie even though he was aware it was created by the Omo n’Oba. Yet, he pretends to be a loyal subject of the Oba.
“In the letter, Johnson said the Enogie had authority only over the Benin in Ologbo. Eager to demonstrate that the area I built my house in Ologbo is independent and does not belong to Benin, they attacked the palace of the Enogie in 2001, six years after he wrote the offensive letter.
“They destroyed a wing of the palace as well as furniture and many household appliances. My father reported the matter to the police and took court action against Johnson and his cohorts.
“Fearing that the development would threaten the friendly and fraternal relationship between the Benin and the Itsekiri, the Olu of Warri, Atuwatse, intervened. He requested the Oba to prevail on the Enogie to get the matter out of court for home settlement which included repairing the damaged property.”
Since the current crisis started, the Enogie has not been to his Dukedom for fear of being attacked: “I have not been at home since this incident happened about two weeks ago. The community is deserted, there is tension everywhere, the Benin people have fled and they are afraid of being attacked.
“Johnson also sells lands in Ologbo, he has no right whatsoever to do that. He is also doing logging and dredging sand without paying any tax to the state government or paying homage to the Oba of Benin. You cannot have two captains in a ship.
“We are worried. The security agencies are aware even before the violence escalated we have been invited to the Commissioner of Police Office to sign a peace accord. I am really worried about it. Even with the peace accord, violence is still going on there. The matter has been reported to the Oba of Benin.
“The police arrested two people; one of the two is Johnson’s son and another man about two weeks ago. That same day they were arrested, Johnson’s son, Giwa, was released by the police while the other boy is still there up to this moment. How will you interpret that? It means that the Police have highly compromised. It is only when the two have been investigated that you can say you are innocent.
Government should intervene and restore peace and order in the community. First and foremost, Ologbo is a dukedom and is part of Benin Kingdom and his attempt is to divide Ologbo community into two communities.
“We have the Itsekiri, the Ijaw, Urhobo and other tribes. He cannot say because he is the Iyasere of Warri, that he is in-charge of the Itsekiri in Ologbo. He should be called to order to know that Ologbo is Benin land.
“Kolokolo is Itsekiri settlement. He went and asked them to pay royalty and the people resisted. They insisted that they are under the Enogie of Ologbo when it was created by the Oba of Benin. There have been several Iyasere of Warri and there was friendly relationship.”
Development levy caused Ologbo crisis – Uteinyi
Reacting to the claims of the Enogie, Mr. Fred Uteinyi, Secretary of Ikaye Community in Ologbo, who spoke for Atseleghe, traced the crisis to one of their brothers who was laying the foundation of his house:
“One of our brothers who was doing a foundation of his house, Enogie boys went to collect development levy known as emolu from him. They asked for N100,000. The man gave them N30,000, they refused. He then added N20,000 but they refused and ordered job on the building site to be stopped.
“The boys ran to the Enogie’s Palace and brought boys and started shooting. We held one of the boys and recovered a gun from him. The police recovered two other guns.”
He denied the allegation that they did not recognise the lordship of the Enogie: “We were at his coronation in 2017. If we were against him, why would we be there?”
He said the collection of development levy which has been abolished by both the Oba of Benin and the Edo State Government was the cause of the crisis, insisting that “nobody is in tussle with him that he is not the Enogie of Ologbo.”
Utienyi stated that while they (Itsekiri) kept to the peace accord the parties signed with the Commissioner of Police, the Benin were still allegedly carrying out destruction of property in the community because the Enogie did not tell his people about the accord. He, however, said peace was returning to the community gradually.
On the allegation by the Enogie that Atseleghe was dredging, carrying out logging and illegal bunkering, he said:
“My Oga dredging? He is not doing it illegally, he is doing it legally. He is not a timber magnate, he doesn’t buy or sell, that is not true.”