Hundreds of youths from the Amagba Adolor community in Oredo Local Government Area on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest at the Edo State Government House and the Palace of the Oba of Benin, over the alleged encroachment and takeover of their ancestral land by perceived strangers in the area.

The protesters, led by the community head (Odionwere), Pa. Joseph Iduoyekemwen, decried the alleged illegal occupation of a section of Amagba Adolor, known as Emokpae Camp, by the Okoroma people, whom they described as settlers now laying claim to ownership of the land.

Addressing journalists, Pa. Iduoyekemwen said: “We are protesting because part of Amagba Adolor community, popularly known as Emokpae Camp, is now being claimed by people who refer to it as ‘Okoroma community.’ This is unacceptable. The so-called Okoroma people are settlers in our community and cannot claim ownership of our ancestral land.”

He added that there is no officially recognized community in Edo State called Okoroma, according to the records of the Benin Traditional Council (BTC). “They are merely a camp within the Amagba Adolor community,” he asserted.

Corroborating Odionwere’s position, a youth leader, Mr. Osasu Monday, said the Okoroma settlers were welcomed into Amagba Adolor years ago, but they are now attempting to unlawfully appropriate the land.

Osasu called on Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, and the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, to urgently intervene to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

He further appealed to the Benin Monarch to clearly demarcate the boundaries between Amagba Adolor and the neighboring Obagie N’Evbuosa community to avoid future conflict and ensure lasting peace.

“Despite previous interventions by the Palace, indigenes of Obagie N’Evbuosa, now in collaboration with the Okoroma group, continue to unleash violence in the area,” Osasu alleged. “Our people are being forcefully evicted with the help of armed thugs.”

He commended Governor Okpebholo for initiating dialogue and urging parties to maintain peace, but emphasised that “the only sustainable solution is for our revered monarch to step in and define the boundary between Amagba Adolor and Obagie N’Evbuosa once and for all.”