Elders and people of Iyanomo village in Ovia North East Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State have called on the Benin Monarch, Governor Godwin Obaseki, the LGA chairman and other security agencies in the state to save them from the continuous intimidation suffered in the hands of the Enogie of Oye, Alfred Erhauyi Osagie, and his people.
The people who were led by the ‘Ozukpogieva,’ second in command, Pa Sunday Ohiengbomwan in a protest, appealed to the Oba of Benin and other relevant authorities to come their rescue before the issue degenerates to chaos.
Pa Ohiengbomwan said Iyanomo indigenes have been living together as one since the great Oba Ewuare II gave ruling between the two villages to go and live peacefully, and also pronounced that they should stop the combination of names for a dukedom in 2018.
He said since the demise of the former Enogie of Oye, his son, Alfred Erhauyi Osagie, who took over from him has been creating problems by claiming that Iyanomo’s land now belongs to Oye village, arresting them with police and also intimidating them with soldiers always that they now sleep with eyes open for fear of arrest from the Enogie and his agents.
Also speaking, the Okaighele, Iyayi Ebiogbe, and the assistant secretary, Ernest Aihevba, said since 2018 when the great Oba Ewuare II made the pronouncement that there should not be any combination of names for a dukedom they have been living peacefully without problem, but when the present Enogie, Alfred Erhauyi Osagie, became the Enogie the people of Iyanomo have known no peace.
They posited that they have been the one seeking the part of peace and this is what Oye village led by their Enogie has capitalised on.
They said they would not have been bothered if not for the recent holes dug across and blockage of the only access road leading to Iyanomo village with iron bars, the Enogie Oye has continuously intimidated them with soldier and harassed them with police but they have always kept their cool.
They both said that this appeal became necessary so as not to take the laws into their hands, as the said Enogie is now pushing them too far, saying with the hole dug and blockage of the only access road into the village the women now find it difficult to take their farm produce and wares to the market and their children for sometime now could not go to school because of the blockage by the Enogie of Oye and his people.
They however stressed that the people of Iyanomo village would settle for nothing more than the full implementation of the Palace ruling of 2018.
Speaking on behalf of the women, Madam Loveth Otabor, said they now live in palpable fear owing to the recent attack on the oldest woman who was beaten up and had two of her front teeth pulled off in the process.
However, efforts to reach the Enogie of Oye to speak on the allegations were not successful as at the time of going to press.
