The Edo State House of Assembly has summoned factions of youths from Ikpeshi community in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state to appear before it following violent clashes reportedly linked to a kingship dispute and a battle over revenue collection rights.
The Speaker of the House, Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, issued the summons during Tuesday’s plenary, describing the crisis as disturbing and unacceptable.
He disclosed that the unrest had led to loss of lives and the reported burning of the palace of the community’s traditional ruler.
Hon. Agbebaku directed that all parties involved in the crisis appear before the House on Wednesday for immediate legislative intervention, adding that the Assembly was determined to broker peace and ensure stability in the troubled area.
“The bloodshed is totally condemnable. It undermines the efforts of the state government under Governor Monday Okpebholo to secure all parts of Edo. This House will not fold its arms while violence festers in any community,” he said.
The Speaker mandated the lawmaker representing Akoko-Edo II constituency, Hon. Donald Okogbe, to bring representatives of the warring factions to the Assembly for dialogue.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the plenary, Hon. Okogbe confirmed that the crisis stemmed from long-standing disputes over kingship succession and control of local revenue.
He revealed that the situation escalated rapidly, prompting him to alert the Speaker after receiving a distress call from the traditional ruler.
“Security operatives have already been deployed to restore calm in the area, and we are hopeful that the Assembly’s intervention will help bring lasting peace,” Okogbe said.
In other legislative business, four bills scaled first reading during the session, including a bill seeking to repeal the 2023 sanitation law and enact a new sanitation framework for 2025.
The House also adopted 54 sitting days as its schedule for the first quarter of the third session of the 8th Assembly.
