Residents of 19 oil-producing communities in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on Friday protested alleged encroachment on their lands by people from neighbouring communities in Delta State.

🇳🇬 Here's What Happened

The protesters, who represented the affected Ilaje coastal communities, called on the Ondo State Government to intervene in the dispute and prevent it from escalating into an inter-state crisis.

The communities represented include Odun Ebiwon Community, Odun Makin, Ilu Titun, Odun Odunjo, Odun Maha, Eke Nla, Eke Kekere, Ubajakere, Eke Itiola and Odun Okoro.

Others are Odun Yonren, Odun Beku, Odun Ogungbeje, Odun Oyinbo, Odun Oriretan, Ubale Kekere, Ubale Nla, Ikuyinminu and Odun Igo.

📌 Key Details

During the protest, the residents sang solidarity songs and carried placards with inscriptions including, “Odun Makin Community belongs to Ugbo in Ilaje LGA, Ondo State,” “We Don’t Want Crisis in Our Land,” “Oretan Community belongs to Ugbo Kingdom in Ondo State,” “Ilaje People Are Peace-Loving, We Say No to Inter-State Crisis,” and “Ebiwon Community is Ondo State.”

Speaking on behalf of the affected communities, a community leader, Mr Busayo Ebiniyi, alleged that the communities had come under repeated pressure from neighbouring communities in Delta State because of the economic value of the area, which he said was rich in oil and other mineral resources.

He said the protest was organised to draw attention to the situation, calm tensions and prevent a breakdown of law and order, adding that community leaders had been consulting relevant authorities to ensure peace.

Ebiniyi called on the Ondo State Government to urgently intervene in the dispute.

He said, “This development has come to threaten the peace of our people, all because of the mineral resources discovered in our communities in Ugbo Kingdom, Ilaje Local Government.”

Ebiniyi said the community leaders would continue to engage relevant authorities and traditional leaders to resolve the dispute, stressing that the Ilaje people had lived peacefully with their neighbours for generations.

📰 Source: Punch Nigeria