By Simeon OSAJIE
The Odionwere, Council of Elders and the entire people of Ugbayon Community in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area Edo State have appealed to His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II CFR, Oba of Benin Kingdom to intervene and reaffirm the historical autonomy of the community.
Even as they also called on Edo State government to be wary of the attempt to destabilize a peaceful community and to ensure that government agencies are not misled by fraudulent claims.
This was contained in an address signed by the Odionwere, Pa Richard Ibizugbe Omoregbe, the Okaighele Nosakhare Michael Ahanor Council of Elders and read by the Community Secretary, Mr. Kingsley Osemwegie Aifuwa for and on behalf of the entire people of Ugbayon Community.
He said the people decided to hold the enlarged meeting to categorically reject and condemn the alleged recent false, spurious and historically baseless claims made by some individuals from Ugoneki community, who have audaciously asserted ownership over their ancestral homeland and denied their sovereign identity.
He pointed out that their alleged claims that Ugbayon is a tenant community is not merely an error but an affront to their ancestors, distortion of history and a malicious attempt to undermine their heritage and rights
The Odionwere pointed out that the current dispute arises directly from the community’s lawful initiative to create new residential layouts for development and enhanced security.
“We state unequivocally that the farmlands in question are the inheritance of Ugbayon families, cleared and nurtured by their forefathers, the claims that individuals bought this land from Ugoneki is predicated on fraudulent documents saying you cannot sell what you do not own,” he added.
The Odionwere, Pa Richard Ibizugbe Omoregbe emphasized that the boundaries between Ugbayon and Ugoneki are well-established, recognized for generations and defined by natural landmarks and that the said Ugoneki has never exercised any form of administrative control, customary authority, or resource management over a single inch of Ugbayon land, their sudden claim is a transparent and desperate reaction to their progress.
Pa Richard Ibizugbe Omoregbe restate categorically that Ugoneki has no land to sell in Ugbayon, any documents claiming otherwise is a worthless forgery and also the attempt to use law enforcement to legitimize this theft is an abuse of process.
“This baseless claim is not just an insult to Ugbayon’s history, it is a direct threat to their future,with likely consequences of stifling development, breeding instability and conflict between the two communities that have coexisted peacefully for generations,” he added.
Pa Omoregbe however used the occasion to call on the general public that Ugbayon is an ancient community, a co-equal founder of the Ugo N’ Iyekikpoba dukedom, Ugbayon is not and have never been tenants or subject to Ugoneki and all land within the known and accepted boundaries of Ugbayon is the ancestral property and birthright of Ugbayon families, non-negotiable and inseparable from their identity and that the people will vigorously challenge all fraudulent documents and malicious petitions through all legal and traditional means available.
He noted that the people of Ugbayon are peace loving people and have chosen the path of the law adding that any further attempts to trespass their land, tarnish their name or distort their history will be met with full force of legal and traditional resistance.