By EMMA AMAIZE, Warri

YOUTHS of Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, Thursday, urged the Delta State Government   not to assent to the scheme by Aladja community in   Udu Local Government Area,  to allegedly thwart the construction of a by-pass road from Delta Steel Company, DSC, Complex, Aladja to Ogbe-Ijoh.

The youths, under the auspices of Ogbe-Ijoh Governing Council, in a statement by the secretary general, Hon. Friday Deinghan, said, “To accede to the demand of the Aladja youths would be to allow illegalities prevail over law and order. We are not in a banana republic where people take laws into their hands and make all sorts of frivolous demands.”

They said, “We also demand that the selected youths and elders behind the acts of criminalities in Aladja community should be brought to justice,” the council stated.

The Ogbe-Ijoh youths described the opposition to the construction of the said by-pass road on the basis that there is a land dispute between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities as “unfortunate and unfounded.”

“The Aladja community has already taken the Ogbe-Ijoh community to the Otor-Udu High Court on the same matter. Therefore, the issue of land ownership between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja is subjudice.

“In any case, no community or groups of people have the right to oppose developmental project on the basis of a land dispute between communities. Despite the existence of the land dispute between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities, several developmental projects are going on in Aladja and the Ogbe-Ijoh community has never at anytime opposed them.