Nineteen coastal communities in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have rejected an alleged land ownership claim by neighbouring Itsekiri communities, calling on the Ondo and Delta State governments to urgently intervene to prevent the dispute from escalating into violence.

The affected communities are Odun Ebiwon Community, Odun Makin, Ilu Titun, Odun Odunjo, Odun Maha, Eke Nla, Eke Kekere, Ubajakere, Eke Itiola, Odun Okoro, Odun Yonren, Odun Beku, Odun Ogungbeje, Odun Oyinbo, Odun Oriretan, Ubale Kekere, Ubale Nla, Ikuyinminu and Odun Igo.

Representatives of the communities, who spoke during a briefing at Ebiwonjumi Community in Ugbo Kingdom, alleged that some persons from neighbouring Itsekiri communities recently arrived in the area by boat and with arms, claiming ownership of the land.

The development, according to the representatives, has raised tension among residents, despite the longstanding relationship between the Ilaje and Itsekiri people.

Speaking on behalf of the communities, Busayo Julius Ebiniyi from Ubale Kekere said the people had maintained peaceful relations with their Itsekiri neighbours for generations and were determined to prevent the dispute from degenerating into violence.

Ebiniyi called on the Ondo and Delta State governments to engage each other at the governmental level and bring together elders and traditional institutions from both sides for dialogue.

He said, “We have invested in peace and we will not subject it to any recent claim that can degenerate into escalation of violence.”

The community representative insisted that Ebiwonjumi was an ancestral settlement of the Ilaje people under Ugbo Kingdom, maintaining that the name was derived from their forefathers who handed the land down to successive generations.

According to him, the communities have historical and developmental evidence which, he said, supports their claim to the land.

He cited projects executed by the Ondo State Government and the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), including an OSOPADEC project constructed between 1999 and 2003, a school built during the administration of former Governor Olusegun Agagu and a walkway constructed during the administration of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Ebiniyi said the projects demonstrated the longstanding connection between the communities and Ondo State, adding that members of his family had been born in the area for generations.

Another indigene, Olumide John Ebiwonjumi, said the community had existed for more than 200 years and remained under Ugbo Kingdom in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.

He said residents were surprised when they received information that some Itsekiri people had arrived in the area by boat and were claiming ownership of the land.

Ebiwonjumi appealed to the Ondo State Government to engage its Delta State counterpart and prevent further incursions into the communities.

The community leader, Orimisan Ebiwonjumi, also appealed to the government to address the developmental challenges confronting the communities, including inadequate water supply, poor housing, lack of solar power, poor telecommunications network and inadequate healthcare facilities.

Responding to questions from journalists, Ebiniyi said the 19 communities were affected by the alleged threat, adding that their immediate priority was to calm residents and prevent a possible escalation.

He described the dispute as a recurring issue, saying the communities had consistently chosen peace despite what he described as repeated provocations.

Ebiniyi attributed the renewed interest in the area to its economic value, citing its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, offshore oil activities and alleged crude oil deposits beneath the land.

He appealed to the neighbouring communities to pursue dialogue, warning that a full-scale crisis would have serious consequences for both sides.

“Peace is an expensive thing to get, but it is the best therapy to avoid war. Because when there is war, there will be carnage, and when there is carnage, there will be death,” he said.

He, however, maintained that while the communities remained committed to peaceful resolution of the dispute, they would not surrender what they described as their ancestral land.

The communities therefore urged the Ondo and Delta State governments, traditional rulers and elders from both sides to urgently commence dialogue and resolve the dispute before it escalates into violence.