By Emma Amaize

WARRI—IJAW National Congress, INC, the umbrella body of the Ijaw people nationwide, last night, demanded the withdrawal of the 14-day quit notice issued Ijaw indigenes resident in Udu Kingdom, Udu Local Government Area, Delta State, in the interest of peaceful co-existence between the two ethnic nationalities.

In a statement by the national president, Chief Boma Obuoforibo, INC, also called on the    the government of Delta State to “step up its intervention to restore normalcy in Udu Local Government Area and douse the feverish tension in the area.”

Gov Ifeanyi Okowa

INC spoke just as Urhobo youths  under the auspices of Udu Youth Council, UYC, Udu, yesterday, rejected the call by the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, Youth Wing, Udu chapter, on Ijaw indigenes living in the area to vacate latest today.

The Ijaw group said: “Government should take far reaching steps, including where necessary, imposition of a dusk to dawn curfew in Udu and parts of Warri South West Local Government Areas of Delta State to prevent total breakdown of law and order in these areas.

“We call on the Delta State Government to take its intervention to resolve the age long communal boundary dispute to its logical conclusion. The INC notes the setting up of previous Commissions of Inquiry into the land dispute between Ogbe-Ijoh, Isaba, Diebiri and Aladja communities such as the Justice Azinge panel of 1996, Justice Nwulu Panel of 2009 and the present Prof. Ekoko panel. The INC appeals to Urhobo traditional rulers and other leaders to prevail on their people to maintain peace and complement government and stakeholders’ effort towards restoring peace to the affected areas. We equally call on Ijaw youths to remain calm and stay in their enclaves and not take laws into their hands.

“The INC calls on Urhobos living in Ijaw land to be calm. We assure them of their security to go about their business without fear of molestation.”

The INC also call on the communities concerned to adhere to the rule of law by taking their grievances to the appropriate avenues for resolution rather than taking laws into their hands.”

“While appreciating the role been played by the media in reporting events arising from the clashes between the communities concerned, we strongly advise against sensational reports that are capable of adding to the already tense situation,” it said.

INC observed that the controversial ultimatum was handed down by Urhobo youths through their leader in Udu Kingdom during the visit of the President General of the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), Chief Joe Omene to Aladja town.

“While responding to the ultimatum of the Urhobo youths to Ijaws resident in Udu Kingdom to evacuate their land, Chief Omene fuelled their agitation when he was reported to have said:

‘…The declaration of war on Aladja village by Isaba and Ogbe-Ijoh is a war against the entire Urhobo nation.’

“This statement is not only careless but insensitive to the multi-ethnic nature of our society. The INC initially thought Chief Omene was quoted out of context and had waited for him to refute the report which he failed to do up to this moment with other leaders of Udu Kingdom reaffirming the ultimatum .

“The last report the INC has is that Ijaws are now moving massively out of Udu Kingdom and other parts of Urhobo land in Delta State to their hometowns and temporary places of abode,” the apex Ijaw body asserted.