Updated:Ogbe-Ijoh, Aladja Boil Again, 4 Injured, 4 Houses Burnt 24Hours After Okowa’s Intervention

An orgy of violence enveloped Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja communities, Delta State on Thursday morning barely 24 hours after Governor Ifeanyi Okowa met with leaders and stakeholders from the troubled areas.

BigPen Online learnt that by the time the dust which the crisis raised settled, four persons were reportedly injured and four houses torched.

The intermittent crisis had lingered at the backdrop of the failure of the state government to release the white paper on the recommendation of the peace committee set up by the governor.

BigPen Online recalls that Governor Okowa had on Wednesday met with security chiefs and community leaders from Gbaramatu and Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdoms, both in Warri South-West council area as well as those of Aladja community in Udu council area.

The purpose of the meeting was to secure a peace agreement from the warring communities who at the meeting were said to have promised to sheath their swords and give peace a chance.

But less than 24 hours after the meeting, the two communities who have been at dagger drawn posture for years, resumed hostility, leaving the area in turmoil.

However, indigenes of the troubled communities gave different version of what led to new hostility, accusing each other of drawing the first blood.

A source disclosed that Ijaw youths from Ogbe-Ijoh allegedly stormed the outer flanks of their neighbouring Aladja community, shooting sporadically and burning some houses.

But when contacted, the youth president of Aladja, Wisdom Onotomre, claimed that the attack on his community, at about 5:00am, was unprovoked, however his Ogbe-Ijoh counterpart said the attack was provoked by an earlier attack, at about 6:00am, by Aladja persons, leaving two persons injured.

“The Ogbe-Ijoh people came to wake up this morning at about 5:00am with an attack, they have even burnt 4 houses. Although we are thanking God that there’s not been any casualty, but they still in our community, shooting”, Onotomre said.

When asked what must have caused the new round of fight, Onatomre said “nothing caused this one, we were sleeping when we started hearing gunshots”, he added.

Onatomre said that two persons were injured by youths from his neighbouring community of Ogbe-Ijoh.

However, when reached for response, the youth president of Ogbe-Ijoh, Edwin Aken, said the attack was provoked by an earlier one during which the Aladja attackers left 2 persons injured.

“If they say Ogbe-Ijoh people attack them, that is a very wrong statement. They were the ones who attacked Ogbe-Ijoh at about 6:15 this morning. They came to attack and definitely nobody will fold his arms and watch when they are coming to kill him. So it was in retaliation to what they did, Ogbe-Ijoh didn’t just go to attack them, they attacked us first.

“They attacked and injured 2 persons and that was what brewed the anger in the boys because His Highness (Pere of Ogbe-Ijoh) has always asked us not to attack them, but when they come to injure people, some of the boys may not be patient enough to give a report, but would rather engage them”, Aken said.

Below are photographs of a burnt house in Aladja community 

A burnt house in Aladja