By Ayodele Oni
Okolaba Federated Community in Bomadi Council Area of Delta State has sought the intervention of the State Government to check continued attacks by neighbouring Okuama people.
In a letter to the State Governor, copies of which were sent to Security Agencies, the Community alleged that their neighbour has been launching unprovoked attacks on them for sometime now unchecked.
Part of the letter reads “Your Excellency suffice it to say that these are not good times for Okoloba Federated Community because of series of unabated coordinated unprovoked attacks carried out on us by Okuama settlers from Ughelli South LGA. .
“Penultimate week, Okuama youths dragged an Okoloba youth who was traveling quietly to Akugbene to meet up with family.
“They dragged him out of the boat like a common criminal and descended on him with matchetes, battle axes, clubs etc. He almost lost his life and as we speak, he is undergoing comprehensive medical care in the hospital in an undisclosed location.
“This is in addition to a previous attack by same Okuama people who went to our rivers and captured countless defenseless women, most of whom were pregnant and children also.
“This was after they came to our waterfront, blasted dynamites and cutting open our shorelines, both of which are prohibited activities in our land, and thereby exposing them to erosion.
“They took the women and the children to unknown destination, brutalized them, broke their heads, raped some and did all sort of despicable things to them. And in the face of all of these unwarranted provocations, we have always remained calm and peaceful.
“As if all of the above harassment, humiliations and embarrassments are not enough, Okuama people came with mercenaries hired from their EWU kingdom and other environs and attacked our community on the 27th of January, 2024 at about 2.00am.
“But thank our creator, the Almighty God that, our youths were able to repel the unprovoked and unprecedented attack and pursued the invaders who escaped into the opposite forest between us and our neighboring community, Ogodobiri, abandoning their fast-moving boat and lots of arms and ammunition with which they attacked our community.
“This is of course in keeping with our God-given and inalienable right to the human dignity and self reservation as enshrined in the 1999 constitution(as amended).
“As we speak, we have been ambushed from all flanks by the Okuama people and their allies to the extent our people can not leave the community.
“Our sons and daughters in diaspora making way back to their fatherland have been consistently harassed, intimidated, attacked, brutalized, humiliated etc. Our men and women can no longer go the farms or the rivers to fend for themselves. Socio-economic activities have been totally brought to a standstill and we are now living in perpetual fear of more attacks by Okuama people and their mercenaries.
“It is in the light of the above and in keeping with our unflinching zeal and determination to continue to co-exist with our neighbors, that we are bringing to your gracious notice the threat to our lives, that is almost about bringing our corporate existence as a people to an abrupt end.
“Your Excellency, we are very peace-loving people and it is in keeping with that we have been consistently drawing public attention to the unprecedented criminality and illegality of Okuama people, which we have continually endured for ages.
“As a matter of fact we have become slaves in our own God-given heritage. Your Excellency, we are about to be completely exterminated by Okuama people, who are mere settlers from Ughelli South LGA, Delta State.
“We have come to a crossroad and have no other alternative than to cry to your gracious attention to seek your prompt intervention to prevail on the Okuama people to bring to an end all hostilities.”
