Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh: Ijaw nation will not condescend to respond to UPU war threat, ultimatum -IPDI

By Peters Monday, Abuja

Following the war threat by the Urhobo Progressive Union against Ogbe-Ijoh community and the Ijaw nation over a communal land dispute between Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh communities, the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, IPDI has said that Ijaw nation as an institution will not condescend low to respond to Urhobo nation’s war threat and purported ultimatum given to Ijaws living in Urhobo environment to vacate within seven days.

This is according to a response by the group’s national president comrade Ozobo Austin in an interview on Thursday.

While reacting, he said no well-meaning stakeholder, be it in Urbobo or Ijaw would incite the communal conflict between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities, neither magnifying it as an ethnic war between Urbobo and Ijaw nation.

Ozobo maintained that the UPU statement classifying a communal clash as an ethnic war is so disappointing, adding that only bad students of the history of the war in Warri in recent years would call for war.

He said the war threat and ultimatum issued against Ogbe-Ijoh and Ijaw nation by UPU and others appeared to have been done in bad faith, stating that no average Urbobo youth would endorse such an unpopular position of the UPU leaders and some government officials who met in Aladja community.

Ozobo said the reason Ijaw nation will not respond is that Ijaw sees the fracas between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities as a Communal clash, and not an ethnic crisis, a position wrongly canvassed by UPU.

He noted that Ijaw man is too brave to declare war on the Urhobo nation for a mere communal dispute, stressing that Urhobo leaders who made the war declaration during their visit to Aladja should for the interest of peace review their decision and ultimatum.