ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
The President, ljaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba, has called on warring Ijaw and Bini communities in Edo State to sheathe their swords.
Okaba in a statement on Monday, lamented the ongoing fratricidal crisis between the lkoro, an ljaw community and the Obazuwa, a Bini community all in Edo.
The INC president, who called on them to embrace peace and unity, frowned on the avoidable conflict which had reportedly involved the engagement of lethal weapons resulting in the destruction of lives and property.
He said the development was not acceptable to the indigenous peoples of ljaw and Bini.
He said the Niger Delta ethnic nationalities are minorities who have over time suffered the same fate of oppression, neglect, deprivation, exploitation and marginalisation generally in the wider Nigeria clime.
Okaba, a Professor of Sociology at the Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, said: “Rather than coalesce efforts, strategies, tactics and energy to combat our common enemies, it is regrettable that two neighbouring communities who share similar existential challenges could engage themselves in acts of self destruction especially at this auspicious moment of our nationhood that has made inter-ethnic unity, cooperation and solidarity more imperative.
“We, therefore, call on these warring communities to sheathe their swords and embrace peaceful dialogue and arbitration processes to address whatever reasons are behind this conflict that has led to the degree of provocation and aggression we have seen so far.
“Both the ljaws and Binis and by extension all other Niger Delta groups should continue to eschew bitterness and explore non-violent mechanisms and options to resolve their grievances. There is and cannot be a better alternative to constructive dialogue and engagement in conflict resolution and management.
“As minorities in the Nigerian contraption, we are too endangered in a community of predatory wolves in sheep clothing to resort to internal wranglings and any act of self extermination.”
The INC boss, therefore, appealed to Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki who doubles as the Chief Security Officer of the state, to act within his powers to restore peace and normalcy to the warring communities.
He said the INC is confident that Obaseki would extend his fatherly tentacles and treat all the parties involved equally as citizens of Edo without ethnic biases.
Okaba added: “We are very willing and also well equipped to partner the government and the good people of Edo state and particularly the leadership of the Bini socio-cultural organisation in their genuine search for lasting peace to these intractable crises springing up sporadically between the ljaws and the Binis in Edo State.
“It may suffice to note that the ljaws are aborigines in the delta coastline who were never conquered and therefore must be so treated with the dignity and respect they deserve in their ancestral homes, despite being minorities as occasioned and orchestrated by state antics of balkanization.
“While we continue to leverage the strategic initiatives initiated by the INC and the leadership of the Conference of President Generals of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities to build stronger unity among our people, we wish to thank the security agencies for their intervention and call on both sides to remain calm.
“Let brotherly love reign and the spirit of unity prevail and guide our co-existence and relationships as we match on this common route to self-determination and fulfilment.”