By Emma Arubi
WARRI—THREE Urhobo communities in Delta State are battling Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, over  recognition rights as host communities to the multi-million naira Utorogun Domestic Gas Projects located in Iwhrekan community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state.

However, the Iwrhekan community on whose land the project is sited has called on the state government and security agencies to wade into the matter stressing that they would not allow any group or community to short-change them.

The community said the land for the project was acquired solely from them by the SPDC 14 years ago without hindrance from any quarter.

Two of the communities fighting SPDC over recognition rights are Edjophe and Otor-Edo,  who staged a protest to the Gas Plant last week and issued a 7-day ultimatum to the company to meet their demands or face their wrath.

But in a statement by the Chairman of Iwrhekan community, Pastor Peter  Rupleni, the community maintained that “the site of the Utorogun Domestic Gas project is exclusively owned by Iwhrekan community and  no other community or person has evidence of ownership of any fish pond, palm trees, rubber trees and so on in that spot.”

According to them, the protest by the other two communities to SPDC was very unfortunate, as none of them had any moral or legal claims to the on-going Domestic Gas site, adding that though they all shared a common ancestry, each community had its own portion of land and that a case was already pending in the court on the matter.

SPDC, according to sources, had equally made it clear that they owe the protesters no obligations as the land in question was bought directly from Iwrhekan community.

Iwrhekan community said they cannot fold their arms and watch others grab their rights or sell away their birth right on the basis of moral sentiment.

While appealing to the brother communities not to provoke violence  through their unwarranted protest to SPDC, which was capable of thwarting the peace agenda of the Governor Uduaghan’s administration, they urge them to patiently await the out come of the court case,   and appealed to the security agencies to call Edjophe and Otor-Edo communities to order.