By Gabriel Enogholase
BENIN—Crisis is brewing between the Ijaws of Edo State and their Bini counterpart over what the Ijaws alleged as their continuous marginalization, politically and economically in the hands of the Binis.

Spokesman of the Ijaws in Edo State and Vice-Chairman, Delta, Edo and Ondo States chapter of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Mr. Andrew Igiri, who visited Vanguard’s Office in Benin yesterday, appealed to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the state, and the Federal Government to call the Binis to order to avert a bloody ethnic clash in the state.

According to him “as I speak to you now, the Ekewan Ijaw are facing problem and oppressions from the Binis. The bottom line is that the Bini people feel that naming the state after them is their customary right, which I know is wrong because, it is not only the Binis that are occupying the state. There are other ethnic groups such as the Afemais, the Esans, the Owans, Igbos, Yorubas, etc.

“But today, they are oppressing the Ijaw people, treating them as tenants, who do not belong to the state. Now the Binis have set up a body in Ekewan community known as Ikpako Bini community. They have written the Ministry of Lands and Survey and the Ministry of Environment not to grant recognition to the Ekewan Ijaw community,  who put up a  similar letter of recognition.

“As I speak with you,  they have appointed an Odionwere for the Ekewan Ijaw community and I am saying that the Ijaws and the Binis have nothing in common culturally, traditionally and linguistically, but for the boundary adjustment, that is why we are in Edo State,” he said.

The Benin people are taking this advantage,  telling the Ijaw people that they are not from this state. Constitutionally, they are totally wrong. We, the Ijaws are aborigines of this state, we are not tenants.”

“They have been oppressing us. We want to call on the Presidency and Governor Oshiomhole,  that the next tribal crisis will be caused by the Benins and it will be between the Ijaws of Edo State and the Benins because they are already beaten the drum of war and  should be blamed for it,  should anything happens.”

He lamented that since the inception of democracy in 1999, the Ijaws of Ovia South_ West and Ovia North_ East Local Government Areas have been denied of holding any political positions and appointments from both the State and Federal Governments.