Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh Crisis: We are not responsible for attack on Ogbe-Ijoh Comm.-Aladja Youths Cries Out
By Ovedhe Hezekiah.
Miffed by the alleged reports of attacks on Ogbe-Ijoh community by Aladja Community, a group of Aladja youths under the auspices of the Aladja Welfare Movement(Youth Wing of Aladja Community) in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, has distanced themselves from the attacks, condemning allegations levelled against Udu Council boss, Hon. Jite Brown.
The Aladja Welfare Movement this in a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Reuben Doro, and made available to newsmen.
Comrade Doro said, “Aladja Community is not and will never plan to attack Ogbe-Ijoh Community.”
He berated the “Open Letter ” written by the Ijaw Youth Council,IYC in Ogbe-Ijoh to Governor Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa saying,”it’s poorly written and ideologically deficient diatribe”.
It would be recalled that the IYC in some online media platforms accused the Udu Council boss planning to attack Ogbe-Ijoh Community.
According to the Aladja Welfare Movement,”We know the gimmicks of the Ogbe-Ijoh people over the years. They raise alarm of planned attack on them whereas they are the ones planning to attack Aladja so that at the end, the blame of their military misadventure would be borne by Aladja (their hosts).”
It said the Open letter written to Governor Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa was “evilly concocted by some blood thirsty warmongers from Ogbe-Ijoh Community under the auspices of the Ijaw Youth Council, accusing the peace-loving Aladja Community particularly, our illustrious son, Chief Jite Brown, of planned attack on Ogbe-Ijoh community.”
“The only reason alluded to for this wild and bogus allegation is that a gully was dug across an access road to Ogbe-Ijoh Community in Aladja.
“What the evil plotters fail to tell the governor is the massive construction work currently on-going on the Aladja-Ogbe-Ijoh road, which has practically rendered access to Ogbe-Ijoh through the main road impossible, forcing road users to meander through peoples’ farmlands, compounds and property enroute Ogbe-Ijoh.
“If these evil plotters and agents of war and destabilisation, driven by hate and envy were up to any good, they should have told the governor that Aladja Community was not in any way averse to access to Ogbe-Ijoh through the main road and that any difficulty being encountered may be due to the construction work and not any deliberate plot to deny access to the neighbouring Ogbe-Ijoh.
“The allusion to the claim of Chief Jite Brown being an adopted son of His Excellency, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, Governor of Delta State clearly betrayed the envious stance of the Ogbe-Ijoh youths on this matter. Chief Jite Brown had not at anytime referred to himself as Okowa’s adopted son and if that were to be the case, there is nothing for Ogbe-Ijoh youths to break heads over because that would be the governor’s prerogative.”
The Aladja Welfare Movement drew the attention of Governor Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa and Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor-elect and the relevant Security Agencies to provocative tricks of the Ogbe-Ijoh people to always raise false alarm before attacking Aladja so as to take steps to arrest the situation before it gets out of hands.
it noted that,”Aladja are peace-loving as evidenced in the generous accommodation of Ogbe-Ijoh people for decades in their land, yet the settlers will not stop their expansionist tendencies by hurting the innocent Aladja people from time to time.”
The Aladja Welfare Movement also appreciated Governor Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa for his efforts towards settling the since this crisis started.
“We also appeal for further attention to the matter so as to bring total and lasting peace to bear on this matter.”
