BENIN CITY – Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu has sued for peace, promising government’s intervention as he addressed representatives of Igiode and Uzanu communities who have been locked in lingering boundary dispute.
Addressing the delegation from both communities led by Acting Chairman, Etsako East Local Government Council, Hon. Benedicta Ebuehi, Comrade Philip Shaibu directed her on behalf of government to help carry out and furnish the state government with an autopsy report to ascertain the cause of the recent death of an Uzanu indigene, Chief Gabriel Omoudu Ogbumah. The death of Ogbumah sparked off the latest hostilities in the two communities.
He told representatives from both communities to, “maintain peace, adding that your area is one of the communities where government has interest for our agricultural programmes and expansion programmes for people to come and invest in both Igiode and Uzanu communities.
There must be peace and that would create wealth for all of you. Please maintain peace as this government is a government of law and order.
I will not tolerate any breach of law and order that will lead to any violence or obstruct the peace of that environment.
“As for the Local Government Acting Chairman, we need an autopsy on the deceased. We need to know what caused his death. We need you to furnish us with the report of the autopsy to ascertain his cause of death.”
He continued, saying that “it is obvious that both communities want the boundary committee to demarcate the land to create lasting peace but i also want to warn that we will not tolerate any breach of peace because the tension is too much.
We have certified surveyors, we carefully selected a technical team because we know of what we want to achieve.
We believe that when a group of people come together they decide on how they live instead of waiting on somebody else to show them how to live.
Even in court, when you go to court on an issue, before the judgement is delivered, parties involved can decide to opt out after they have decided on their own to reconcile.
The court in its wisdom will stop the case and allow settlement. Most times, you discover that you get justice and lasting peace from such reconciliation.
Most times you get justice in court but you may not get peace. That is why we prefer you have justice and peace by talking to each other and reconciling.
But it is obvious, especially from your altercation this morning that you are not ready to reconcile yourself, if you can still talk like this after three years of constant hostilities and peace talks, it is obvious that it is only through demarcations by government that this issue can be resolved.
We have therefore decided that we would demarcate. We have already sent our surveyors to those areas. We have all the documents. You would hear from us. We would get the committee to put final touches to the things submitted and their own research shows that they have done a good physical and archival checks. We would take our decisions based on these documents.
We pray that this latest decision would create the lasting peace that we all wish for these communities. I want to thank you for honouring our invitation but as you go back, maintain peace and talk to your people on it.
We pray God to grant the deceased eternal rest. However, we pray that it was a natural death because if it is traced to anybody, the law will take its cause.
Both His Royal Highness (HRH), Benjamin Ikani, the Oliola of Uneme- Uzanu and High Chief Michael Ifietekhai 1, of Igiode community gave oral and documentary evidence to buttress their claims”.
Earlier, the Deputy Governor expressed appreciation to the Lords Kitty Group of the Benin Golf Section led by Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Parry Osayande who presented him with a birthday card.
Sir (Dr.) John Ogbeide (KSJI) who led his group on the courtesy visit stated, “We are 26 members who play golf together at this age, we like to relax and enjoy ourselves.
But the group decided to associate with one of our own, a golfer, the Deputy Governor who has turned fifty. We are here to present him a special card from all of us from the Lords Kitty Group.
We have had occasions to play and see the Deputy Governor on the golf course. So we are all here to wish him well.”
