Okowa to Delta communities – Eschew bloodshed over land

By Faith Madogwe 

Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has charged people of the state to eschew hostilities occasioned by land disputes, as no amount of land was worth the blood of any citizen.

Okowa gave the charge in Asaba when he received report of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry into the boundary dispute between Ozoro and Oleh communities in Isoko North and Isoko South councils.

He stressed that there was no land, however vast, should lead to the killing of any person whether such persons were from Oleh, Ozoro or any part of the state.

The governor assured that the commission’s report would be processed with a view to raising a White Paper that would permanently resolve boundary dispute among feuding communities.

“We will process the findings and recommendations through the normal processes that they have to go through and we will produce a white paper as quickly as possible.

“We assure you that because the only way we can truly say ‘thank you’ is to ensure that the work you have done to present the report translates to peace among the Ozoro and Oleh people,” he said.

He commended chairman and members of the judicial commission for turning in their report on time and expressed hope that the recommendations would help to foster peaceful co-existence in the two communities.

Okowa also commended the communities for presenting themselves before the commission and reassured them that his administration would take decisions that would positively impact both communities.

He urged all warring communities across the state to embrace peace and the pave way for sustainable development, stressing that a lot could be achieved collectively under an atmosphere of peace.

While submitting the report, Chairman of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry, Justice Marcel Okoh, said the memoranda were received from parties involved in the dispute during the commission’s public hearings.

Okoh disclosed that during the proceedings, the two communities expressed readiness to embrace peace and expressed hope that the commission’s recommendations would help the state government to achieve sustainable peace and unity between Ozoro and Oleh communities.