OKIA COMMUNITY APPEALS TO UDUAGHAN

       STOP NOW OR… OKIA COMMUNITY WARNS AGGE COMMUNITY

  The Chairman, Okia Community, Burutu Local Government Local government Area, have appealed to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, to use his good offices to call his Bayelsa State counterpart, Hon. Seriake Dickson to prevail on the people of Agge Community, Ekeremor Local government from encroaching on their land.
  Mr. Gbeneyei made the appeal while speaking with newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Warri Correspondents Chapel, Press Centre, saying that the persistent visit to oil companies working on their land by Agge people, claiming that the place belong to them, was capable of breaching the existing peace between the two states.
  He alleged that the people of Agge Community have formed the habit of telling all those who care to hear including oil companies that they are the owners of Okia Community land and should be treated as their host in spite of a Bayelsa State High Court judgment against them warning them not to encroach on Okia Community land.
“What happened was that in 2006, Agge Community invaded my community and took away some persons from the community. When the incident happened we reported to the Government and government agency took steps and arrested them and charged them to Ekeremor High Court, prosecuted them and passed judgment against them that they should not temper with our land or repeat that kind of action.”
 “Now they are still coming in spite of a High Court judgment against them. this is the copy of the judgment. They are still encroaching which is a threat to public peace. So I am using this medium to call on the Delta State Government to come into the matter and ask our brothers in Bayelsa to keep calm, they should not encroach on our land they should obey the judgment. The judgment is the law of the land which must be obeyed. Whatever issue they want to resolve let them wait for the outcome of the appeal court. They should wait for appeal court judgment,” Gbeneyei reiterated.
  He said that the people of Okia Community have resolved to continue to preach peace even at the expense of them losing credibility on their own land, warning any further encroachment may be resisted by force as nobody has the monopoly of violence. He wondered why they ha
10 persons were feared dead while 4 persons survived an accident
involving a Delta City Taxi  at P.T.I Road by Masodje Junction,Effurun
in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State on Sunday January
12,2014.

Delta State Commissioner for Transport,Mr.Ben Igbakpa who was at the
scene of the incident said reports available to him were  that an
unidentified woman carrying fuel joined the vehicle with other
passengers from the park enrout Agbarho when suddenly an explosion
occurred killing 10 persons out of the 14 passengers on the spot while
4 persons survived the accident along the ever busy P.T.I Road in
Effurun.

Mr.Igbakpa blamed the driver for carrying someone with fuel and the
passengers for not keeping charge of the vehicle. According to
him,"the right thing for the passengers to do is tell the woman
carrying the jerrican of fuel that she cannot join the vehicle".

The former Delta State House of Assembly who described the scenerio
where passengers travel with jerrican of fuel in their private car or
public cars as "unfortunate" appealed to commuters in the state to
take "full  ownership of the Delta City Buses and complaining where it
is needful noting that the State Governor,Dr.Emmanuel Uduaghan has
done its beat by providing the vehicles.

Chairman of the Special Marshal Delta State,Mr.Dickson Amromawhe who
corroborated the claims by the State Transport Commissioner,said the
jerricans of fuel were placed by the engine compactment of the city
bus which was already over-heated and in the process,an explosion
rocked the vehicle leading to the death of ten persons while four
survivors with various degree of injuries an act he described as
"quite unfortunate" noting that valuable lives were lost. He called on
drivers be very careful and  stop carrying "volatile  and inflammable
materials" when travelling  just as he adviced passengers to be "bold
enogh to challenge the driver or anybody that is travelling with
anything strange to them".

An eyewitness who preferred anonymity said all he knew and saw was an
explosion of a city taxi but before rescue team comprising the Red
Cross Society,Federal Safety Corps and the Police could come,ten
pensons  had already lost their lives.
As at the time of filing this report,it was not clear if the driver
of the vehicle and his conductor lost their lives or survived the
accident.

ve decided to take the hard stand they are taking even when there is an on-going case in the court of appeal.
 "I want the Delta State government to look into this matter. They have been parading themselves to companies operating in on our land which is not proper. The companies are on Delta State land. The revenue is Delta State revenue and we cannot use our state revenue to pay Bayelsa we are two different local governments and two different states. This is oppression and we don’t need oppression. There is a judgment that asked them to stay clear from the land. I am preaching peace because I obey the law of the law of the land.