The Issele-Azagba community in Aniocha North native authorities space of Delta State has lambasted the state authorities and its native authorities for allegedly supporting the administration of Cubana Millennium Estate to forcefully take over their ancestral farmland of virtually 1.3km.
The community now needs the Delta State Authorities to take pressing, decisive motion to forestall additional battle and be certain that due course of is adopted.
At a press convention in Asaba, the President Normal of the Issele-Azagba Growth Union, IADU, Elder Patrick Isichei, criticized the state authorities over what he known as its lack of decisive motion.
In an open letter acknowledged by Authorities Home Asaba on December 1, the community expressed concern that the estate builders entered the land regardless of the continued boundary adjustment train between Issele-Azagba and neighbouring Okpanam, which has not but been concluded.
The letter learn. ” Deputy Governor and Chairman, Boundary Adjustment Committee, (BAC), Sir Monday Onyeme, had earlier directed each communities to keep off the disputed areas pending the result of the BAC’s work.
“Nonetheless, builders’ actions violate that order and threaten peace within the area simply as actions for the take off of the mission has been earmarked for launch.
“Whereas we reaffirm the community’s openness to improvement, we name on the state authorities to instantly intervene to forestall an escalation of rigidity.
“We’re not anti-investment, however Cubana Group ought to do the needful. They need to come to negotiate and never forcefully purchase our lands, and we stand by it.
“As law-abiding residents of Delta state, we would like the individuals to hear our voice, and it shouldn’t be seen as a weak point,” he stated, warning that the community’s persistence should not be mistaken for give up.
“Iselle-Asagba boundary community vehemently reject this condemnable motion and won’t sit idle to see our farmland forcefully taken from us by whoever with out enough dialogue and cost to us, the proprietor of the land
“Iselle- Asagba community can also be extra frightened concerning the latest non challant perspective of our LGA Chairman, Emma Chinye as a number of efforts via calls, messages and delegations despatched to him had been met with silence from him or his workplace until date. That is very uncommon of the chief chairman” the community said.
Additionally talking on the briefing, Ike Augustine Ijeh, a spokesman of the union, expressed shock that the land which he described as “absolutely belonging to Issele-Azagba” was allegedly carrying documentation related to Okpanam.
“We don’t need to take legal guidelines into our palms, however Cubana Group ought to halt all the things occurring on that land for now.
“That is our ancestral land, our heritage. That we’re law-abiding residents and select to battle on the aspect of the legislation doesn’t make us cowards.”
Whereas commending the state authorities for its earlier efforts to calm tensions, he criticised what he described as a troubling silence and lack of follow-up.
“Are we not Deltans?” Ijeh requested. “No community is extra Deltan than Azagba.
“And Azagba has at all times supported the federal government of the day in all ramifications even if now we have not been rewarded straight.”
He demanded readability from the state authorities concerning their place on the matter.
“The federal government ought to come and state on whose aspect they’re. Or is it as a result of now we have nobody in authorities to converse for us?” he queried.
Ijeh additional accused neighbouring communities of taking benefit of the delay within the boundary adjustment report to dump components of Issele-Azagba’s land.
“Whereas we await the boundary to be ascertained by authorities, different communities are busy promoting off our lands simply because we select to look to authorities, which is now sitting on the fence,” he stated. “The land in query is and I repeat not throughout the space in boundary dispute.”
He known as for an instantaneous halt to all actions on the disputed web site.
“We can’t hen out, we can’t be silent, we’re not cowards,” he added.
In the meantime, supply from the workplace of the Deputy Governor, and Chairman, BAC, Sir Monday Onyeme, confirmed that the committee nonetheless stands by its order that the 2 communities ought to steer clear of the disputed land.
