Ijaws in Edo Demand Autonomy, Allege Marginalisation by Govt, Oba’s Palace
Felix Omoh-Asun in Benin City The five Ijaw kingdoms in Edo State – Egbema, Olodiama, Okomu, Gbaran and Furupagha – have accused the Edo State Government and the Palace of
The Ijaw communities in Edo State have recently accused both the Edo State Government and the Palace of the Oba of Benin of marginalization, balkanization, and threats to peaceful coexistence. The leaders of the five Ijaw kingdoms – Egbema, Olodiama, Okomu, Gbaran, and Furupagha – have demanded autonomy for their people, citing decades of deprivation and being treated as second-class citizens in their ancestral lands.
They claim the Ijaw population, spread across over 500 communities in Ovia South-West, Ovia North-East, and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas, have been deliberately split to deny them a collective political voice, while efforts have been made to rename and annex their communities.
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