Itsekiri, Ijaw in Edo oppose alleged hegemony of Benin Kingdom
No fewer than 1,000 residents of Itsekiri communities in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha Council Area of Edo State, yesterday, embarked on a peaceful protest, vowing to resist any attempt to subject them to the hegemony of Benin Kingdom.
Ologbo, which is a boundary town between Edo and neigbouring Delta State, had been engulfed in crisis over the ownership of the town, causing unrest between the Bini, Itsekiri and Ijaw in the coastal communities.
The residents comprising youths, men and women, said Ologbo remained an Edo community, adding that the fallacy of the Bini residing in Ologbo and the tussle over the ownership of the community and other Itsekiri and Ijaw settlements was a threat to their peace and tranquility.
Spokesman of the Itsekiri and Ijaw communities of Ologbo, Ikara, Kolokolo, Ajoki, Ajatiton, Ajamogha and Abiala, Greg Luma, said the attempt to take over the heritage bequeathed to them by their fathers would be resisted by the Itsekiri and Ijaw indigenes.