Urhobo Leaders Accuse Lagos Oba of Bias
Urhobo Leaders in Badagry yesterday accused the Oba of Ibereko of supporting his chiefs and a handful of individuals who dug gutter across some streets around Oke-Oko community and instead of channeling the water to the river or swamp through existing streets in the community the Oba and some of his chiefs insisted that the leader of the Urhobos who is also a media practitioner should allow water to pass through his Compound because he (the Urhobo leader) is not an indigene.
According to them, the Urhobo man’s compound is the shortest route to divert the flow of water instead of spending money to dig more gutters, for this reason he should open up his fence and the fence of another landlord from Kogi state.
Meanwhile the Urhobos in Badagry have threatened to go on protest and draw the attention of their people all over Nigeria and in Diaspora to the plan to assault their leader and trespass his land.
They insisted that one Mr Alimi alias Baba Luku built a shop across the street where gutter ought to be dug, and instead of drawing the attention of the physical planning authority to the error the Chiefs and Baale closed their eyes to it and asked the Urhobo leader to open up the fence of an area of land measuring over three plots with government approved survey and building plan.
Speaking further on the issue, Barrister Stevenson Okuchimeya stated that the Urhobos encourage communal efforts geared toward addressing issues but averred that in this case, the Chiefs have acted in an unfair and biased manner. He however urged them not to promote breach of public peace or ethnic crisis.
On his part, Leader of the Urhobo Union, Deacon Edomi, said he has drawn the attention of the Akran of Badadry, De Whenu Aholu Menu Toyi 1, to the matter. He said he has also written to His Excellency, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Governor of Lagos state to look into the matter objectively.
Meanwhile, Edomi insisted that if the Oba decides to take the law into his hand, he should know that the law is not a respecter of persons and no individual is above the law.
He however called on the Urhobos to remain calm and watch how the event plays itself out.