The House of Representatives has urged the government to intervene in the rising tensions in parts of the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency of Ondo State. This followed a motion of urgent public importance at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday, sponsored by Donald Ojogo. He alleged that armed youths from the Itsekiri community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State had attacked residents of the affected communities.
According to Ojogo, the communities had witnessed a series of attacks over the past four weeks, resulting in the burning of houses and injuries to residents. The development threatens the longstanding relationship between the Ilaje and Itsekiri peoples, who share a boundary and have maintained historical ties despite living in a challenging riverine environment. Ojogo said it was regrettable that aggression had been visited upon the peace-loving people of Ilaje by gun-wielding Itsekiri youths.
The dispute is linked largely to competing claims over territory believed to contain oil and gas resources, making an early and impartial resolution essential. Ojogo said the Ilaje and Itsekiri had coexisted for centuries, adding that preserving their relationship was important for present and future generations. He urged the House to act quickly to prevent the situation from degenerating into a wider communal conflict.
The resolutions mandated the House Committee on Special Duties to work with the National Boundary Commission to urgently determine the ownership and status of the disputed areas along the Ondo-Delta boundary. The boundary exercise is expected to provide an institutional basis for resolving the territorial disagreement and clarifying the jurisdiction of the affected communities.
The House also seeks the deployment of security personnel, including the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, to the affected areas to restore law and order and prevent further attacks. Similarly, the Committees on Emergency and Disaster Management and the Niger Delta Development Commission are expected to provide immediate assistance to residents displaced by the reported violence.
The proposed intervention comes against the backdrop of recurring boundary and communal disputes in parts of Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta. Questions of territorial jurisdiction, access to land and control of natural resources have contributed to tensions among neighbouring communities. The Ondo-Delta boundary is particularly sensitive because of the overlapping interests of communities located in the riverine areas of both states.
For residents of the affected communities, the immediate priority remains the restoration of security, protection of lives and property, and assistance for those displaced by the reported attacks. The proposed boundary determination could help address the underlying territorial dispute through an established government process rather than allowing competing claims to be settled through confrontation.
Key points
- The Nigerian House of Representatives has called for urgent intervention to end rising tension in parts of the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency of Ondo State.
- The dispute is linked to competing claims over territory believed to contain oil and gas resources.
- The House seeks the deployment of security personnel to the affected areas to restore law and order and prevent further attacks.
