Ongoing crisis within the Okomu community in the Ovia South West Local Government Area (LGA) remains unabated, notwithstanding the presence of military personnel around that axis.
It will be recalled that in the Month of May this year, an armed group emanating from the Okomu community going by the name of the Ijaw Freedom Fighters attacked the Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc, killing three rubber tappers, followed by another attack on Marioghionba (AT&P) community killing another bystander and burning vehicles and buildings before attacking their own community and burning about 30 houses and maiming a number of Indigenes, including their very own community’s King.
These attacks led to the deployment of soldiers by the Edo State Government in the area in order to keep the peace.
However, a group named the Okomu Liberation Movement (OLM), which is allegedly the Ijaw Freedom Fighters by another name, emanating from the same community, recently, apparently, made numerous demands to the Edo State Government, Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc (OOPC), Rubber Estates of Nigeria Ltd (RENL) and the Okomu National Park that included amnesty and the demand for the creation of an Okomu Local Government Area from government; a 20% shareholding and the rebuilding of houses burnt down by the OLM in the respective communities from OOPC, amongst others. The group also allegedly demanded the appointment of Okomu community Indigenes in managerial positions in the Government offices in Edo State, OOPC, RENL and the Okomu National Park.
These demands seem to align with the earlier threats of continued violence by the Ijaw Freedom fighters from Okomu community that were published in the Vanguard newspaper of 6th May 2024 if their demands were not met.
This group allegedly stated that there would be no peace within the Okomu community and its surrounds for as long as these and other demands were not met and the maiming and killing of people, arson and the destruction of community and company property would continue, this despite various initiatives from Government and OOPC such as the grading of roads and the building of town halls, sanitary pavilions and boreholes, and the issuance of bursaries to indigenes in the Okomu community which have effectively come to a halt as a result of their ongoing nefarious activities.
A source urged the Government, Army and other security agencies to deal with the perpetrators from this community “who are seemingly hell bent on destroying any form of progress and peace in this area for as long as their own selfish needs are not met”.
