National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By Chuks Peter, DELTA
The Aladja Community in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State has urged Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to call to order the demarcation team handling the ongoing boundary demarcation exercise between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities.
The community claims that the State Government’s Surveyor has flouted the governor’s mandate in this exercise.
The Aladja Community made this appeal in a protest letter signed by Comrade Okakotu Shell GodFirst, President of Aladja Community Council; Apst. Lucky Figbele, Oghuvwie-Ode of Aladja Community; and Mr. Reuben Doro, Chairman of Aladja Welfare Movement and sent to the Governor.
The letter asserts that the demarcation exercise, which is supposed to commence from Major General R.M. Dumudje’s canal, was started afresh, which the community believes will not achieve the desired purpose.
While reiterating its honest desire for the amicable settlement of the land dispute between the two communities, the Aladja Community stated, “We are not willing to do that on the altar of justice.”
The community expressed shock that representatives of Ogbe-Ijoh Community were requested by the surveyor at the start of the exercise to mark the area of the land in dispute from Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh road.
According to the Aladja Community, “They did this by traversing farms and plantations belonging to our people, including the entire length of Major-General R.M. Dumudje’s Canal, Aladja Grammar School, and Aladja Divisional Police Headquarters, marking them as disputed land.”
The letter continued, “This wild and irresponsible claim of land will in no way be helpful to the government in resolving the land dispute; rather, it will aggravate the already tense situation, orchestrated by the fact we have already conceded so much in our bid to make peace.”
The Aladja Community also reported that its representatives were similarly requested to mark out the area in dispute, resulting in the entire land between the two communities being marked out as disputed, with over ninety percent (90%) on the Aladja side.
“This is unacceptable to us as our heritage is being threatened,” they stated.
The community further alleged, “We are aware of the ploy of Ogbe-Ijoh Community to pressurise the team to implement the minority report signed by the two representatives of Ogbe-Ijoh Community in the Prof. A. Ekoko’s panel.
“This ploy, we have also brought to the notice of the government. It seems the interest of the minority is holding sway.”
The Aladja Community is calling for immediate action from Governor Oborevwori to ensure a fair and just resolution to the boundary dispute.
