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By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
In a bid to resolve the communal clash between Otor-Iwhreko and Ekiugbo communities in Ughelli kingdom over the ownership of the popular Ughelli main market, the chairman of Ughelli North Local Government Area, Chief Godwin Adode, has decided to seal the market till further notice.
The communal clash which has already claimed the lives of more than four persons and destroyed properties worth millions of naira in both communities was as a result of an age-long ownership tussle between youths of the two communities.
Reacting to the closure of the market by the local government chairman, a big-time trader on jewelries and clothing in Otovwodo market, another popular market in Ughelli town who didn’t want her name in print told our correspondent that, “It’s a good decision by the Ughelli North local government chairman to close the market since the market is the cause of the crisis rocking the two communities at the moment.
“To me, I can accuse both the local government area and the Delta State government of causing this crisis. The government is only pouring oil in a bowl for two dogs to lick. They are only interested to collect revenues without putting a final stop to this crisis. This crisis didn’t start today. It’s a continuous crisis between the two communities over the ownership of the market, almost every year.
“Markets belong to the government in the first place. The government itself has to make the leaders of the two communities understand this very aspect of the local bye-laws. Even if there is a percentage that usually comes to the host communities, the leaders must be aware that the market is a government property and no longer their own properties as claimed by the youths.”
The trader called on the irate youths of both communities to sheathe their swords and accept dialogue to resolve this issue once and for all.
“The youths are only being foolish in their thinking. Even the money they said, they were collecting from the traders as yearly revenues, they were collecting them for some other people that would take the lion’s share and give them little to smoke Indian hemp and drink monkey tail. That’s all. The funniest part of it is that, those people that are behind them are always in safe places with their families. Why can’t their children join them in the fight? How will somebody buy a gun for you to go and kill your own brothers and you will be happy to embark on such deadly errand? It’s really only foolish people that can go on such missions.
“I want to call on the Delta state government to wade into the matter now. They should stop playing politics with the issue by perverting justice because of political connection to seat of power by some of these community leaders. Let the government settle this issue once and for all,” she said.
A resident in one of the communities who also spoke under the condition of anonymity said, “It’s a personal interest, greed and avarice that is causing this every year crisis for us. How I wish these revenues they are collecting are being used to develop the community, then you can lay hold on a concrete evidence for going to this unending war between the two brotherly communities.
“We are of the same ancestors and forebears. This is why we are in the same Ughelli kingdom. All these years, we have inter-married and we are children of the same parents. Why should we engage in killing ourselves? I want to plead with the Delta State government to remove that revenue that is the interest of the parties fighting. Once this money collection is removed, nobody from either community would come with the agitation that they own the market. Even if the government wants to do something for the host community, I advise that such projects should be done in the two communities to avoid this kind of communal clash and enmity.
“As it’s at the moment, the issue should be resolved as fast as possible because many of the traders in the market are selling perishable goods. Secondly, it’s their source of livelihood. Many of them are daily income earners from the little they sell at the end of the day. The more the issue is being delayed, the more economic hardship the traders are being placed by the government. Many residents are already packing as a result of this crisis. The government should consider the welfare of the people in the two communities,” he said.
Efforts to speak to the chairman of Ughelli North local government area, Chief Godwin Adode, and the chairmen of the two warring communities over the said communal crisis proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
