y Tracy Moses
The House of Representatives has called for urgent intervention to end rising tension in parts of the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency of Ondo State following reported attacks, arson and injuries in Odun-Ebighan, Eke and neighbouring communities.
The call followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Donald Kimtkanboh Ojogo, who alleged that armed youths from the Itsekiri community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State had attacked residents of the affected communities.
Ojogo told the House that the communities had witnessed a series of attacks over the past four weeks, resulting in the burning of houses and injuries to residents.
He said the development threatened 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.
“It is, therefore, most regrettable that aggression has been visited upon the peace-loving people of Ilaje by gun-wielding Itsekiri youths from Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State,” Ojogo said.
He urged the House to act quickly to prevent the situation from degenerating into a wider communal conflict.
According to him, the dispute is linked largely to competing claims over territory believed to contain oil and gas resources, making an early and impartial resolution essential.
He said the Ilaje and Itsekiri had coexisted for centuries, adding that preserving their relationship was important for the present and future generations.
“The two groups have maintained peaceful relations for centuries, and it is imperative that we protect this relationship from being destroyed by avoidable disputes,” he said.
The proposed resolutions seek to mandate 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.
In addition, 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, where 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.
Beyond the immediate security concerns, 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.
For residents of the affected communities, however, the immediate priority remains the restoration of security, protection of lives and property, and assistance for those displaced by the reported attacks.