By Simeon OSAJIE
The head Oke-Oroma Community, Pa. Gaius Emokpae has revealed that the Obagie N’Evbosa Community is occupied by settlers and that the settlers are parading themselves as the original owners of the land.
In a press statement released recently, Pa. Gaius I. Emokpae, for the Elders of Oke-Oroma Community, analysed that while the Bini Kingdom was conquering other places then, the spoils were taken to the Obagie village.
He used the privilege to warn the Obagie people to stop every act of terrorising the Oke-Oroma community.
The statement read:-
“OBAGIE N’VBUOSA OUTRAGEOUS CRY AND BETRAYALS
“The indigenous people of Oke-Oroma Community had been fighting communal war with Amagba since June 2012, four years after the death of the last Odionwere, Chief Emokpae J. Eghaghe, the direct descendant of the Progenitor of Oke-Oroma Nation.
“At the disposal of Amagba, are enormous resources, influence, connections and the apparatus of the ruling government of the day. This matter was brought to the attention of the Palace of the Oba of Benin whose ruling in July 12, 2012 is now in Public domain and well known. Amagba was not satisfied and took Obagie N’Vbuosa to Court for false ownership claims to Oke-Oroma Nation.
“In December 2018, the case was dismissed for lack of merit. In a twist of faith, Obagie N’Vbuosa village invaded our village with hired thugs from other neighbouring States and hoodlums from our Benin locality. Obagie N’Vbuosa claimed it was Amagba that attacked us but subsequent investigation revealed, it was Obagie that attacked us on July 29, 2018.
“Obagie N’Vbuosa stopped fighting us because the Oba of Benin told the three warring Communities that Oke-Oroma was neither under Amagba nor under Obagie NVbuosa and that Oke-Oroma is autonomous and independent.
“The late Enogie respected the words of our Royal father and stopped his land grabbing ambition immediately. Amagba expansionist guest would not allow them to stop. They continued to fight us persistently and incessantly, destroyed all our properties/houses including Oguedion and Odionwere modern Mansion despite restraining interlocutory Court injunction in a Suit No. B/124/18 dated December 13, 2018. Amagba invaded our community and started seiling our lands, massively until they were chased out on 31% October 2024.”
Going further, the statement added, “We cried to the new government that came on board on November 12, 2024. He set up a Committee that looked into our case like other similar cases before him. He found the truth and decided to hand the land over to us the rightful owners. We remained externally and internally grateful to our amiable Governor. May God Almighty continue to protect him for he is a man of Peace, Honour and Integrity (PHI). He has commenced the process of making this peace more permanent and enduring.
“It was only late last month of November 2025, we woke up one morning to see an outrageous and bizarre falsehood, in the guise of conference organized by some of the Elders of Obagie N’Vbuosa led by a lawyer. We in Oke-Oroma, are very disappointed by the conducts of Obagie N’Vbuosa Elders for saying that they owned Oke-Oroma community, and that we are tenants in our own ancestral land and that they gave our fathers land to farm.
“These are all lies, falsehood and betrayals. Their eyes are on Oke-Oroma massive land, land grabbers from that axis. In the late 40s to late 50s, my father accommodated them in our community farm land call OtorOba. In our Oke-Oroma reserve (farming) in late 50s the Obagies approached us in farming in Oke-Oroma reserve area (5 Obagie clustered settlements). We also accommodated them as we did to Obazagbon, Egbirhe and Ofumwengbe/Imade Village. For years we lived as one community until land became Gold and the mighty started selling the land of the perceived peasant poor villagers.
“The people of Obagie N’Vbuosa today are not the original dwellers of Obagie. They are collection of Settlers put there for a purpose. Imagine collection of Settlers brought together under traditional space, challenging the ancestral owners of our Community dating back to 15” Century. Even the late Enogie father was from Evbukhu Village. There is a Government Gazette of the rightful Enogie of Obagie N’Vbuosa.
“We would tell the world your history since your Elders choose the path of dishonour and iniquity in publicly disparaging the fingers that fed them over the years. Obagie N’Vbuosa had been in an unholy alliance with the former Governor Obaseki for long to the extent that they created and manipulated some documents that was backdated, laying false claims over Oke-Oroma ancestral land, forgetting that every village in Benin Kingdom has a history.
“The renewed claims of Obagie N’vbuosa arose principally from the ongoing profiling of properties (and victims/owners) in Oke-Oroma Community after his Excellency; Governor Monday Okpebholo restored the Community back to its rightful owners, a reversal of the subversion under the previous administration of Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki.
“We, through this medium humbly urge the public therefore to ignore the falsehood being propagated by the some of the errant Elders of Obagie N’vbuosa Community as the Government continues with the peaceful profiling and verification processes.
“Furthermore, Oke-Oroma Nation deemed it necessary to make this publication for the general interest of the public and the State Security Agencies in order to keep them abreast of the clandestine activities of the Obagie N’Vbuosa through their Elders.
“Signed:
“Gaius I. Emokpae MNIM, For: The Elders of Oke-Oroma Community.”
