…Describes Move As Plot To Instigate Crisis
…Vow To Defend Ancestral Lands By All Means Necessary
Royal fathers, elders and clergymen from Arogbo Ijaw kingdom of Ondo State have rejected the establishment of a security outpost on their land by one Idowu Asonja, a native of the neighbouring Ilaje community.
The stakeholders in a joint statement signed by Gbakoseigha Philip of the Arogbo Ibe solidarity forum described the establishment of the outpost as an affront to the peace-loving people of Arogbo Ijaw.
They recounted the horrors of the Arogbo-Ijaw/Ilaje war between 1997-1998 which claimed hundreds of lives and decimated property worth millions of naira in very horrendous circumstances warning that the siting of the outpost was a provocative attempt to fan the embers of war.
The stakeholders also lamented the inglorious role played by militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo in the deteriorating and tense security situation in the area.
They called on government and security agencies to intervene before the matter gets out of hand, warning that they will not hesitate to defend their kingdom if the need arises.
The stakeholders called on President Bola Tinubu to call Tompolo to order and cause him to steer clear of the security of Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom and Ondo State in its entirety.
They also called for the decentralization of the contract for pipeline and other oil and gas facilities for more effective coordination.
