The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC and Ijaw elders over the weekend in Edo state, voiced out over supposed plan by the state government to deploy soldiers to Gelegele and other Ijaw communities in the state, including Okikoro where Egbedu shrine is sighted. They seriously sent words of warning that such moved will be declared war against the Ijaw nation and will be stopped by Ijaw people.

National President of IYC, Eric Omare, who voiced out during a press conference in Okomu, Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State, explained that the Ijaw are not settlers in Edo State, “Ijaw people are indigenes and owners of the land that they occupy in Edo State. Let me also make this point, any threat or attack on Ijaw people in Edo State, is an attack against the entire Ijaw people in Nigeria.

“Only this afternoon we got a message that the government of Edo State, in collaboration with the Benin Traditional Council, has perfected plans to send soldiers to Ijaw communities starting from Gelegele and the Egbesu shrine in Okikoro. We want to advice, if they do that it will be a declaration of war against the ijaw nation, they should not take the Ijaw nation’s silence for weakness. The Ijaw nation has the capacity to defend her people anywhere in Nigeria,” Omare said.

Responding to the allegation, the state government, said through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication, Mr Cusoe Osagie, that the state government does not have such plans.

“I am not aware of any deployment of soldiers to that area. However, the state government reserves the right to protect all law abiding citizens in the state. No breach of peace has been reported yet, but if and when that is done, the state will ensure that lives and properties are protected. If the IYC are law abiding people in the state then they have nothing to fear about,” he said