The king of Ekporo community in Eleme kingdom in Eleme LGA, His Royal Highness Sameul S. Obe has replied the king of Ogu, HRM Nicholas D. Ibiobele Nneminibo Loko IX Amanyanabo of Ogu that Ekporo people agree to be subjects of Ogu if Ogu could speak Eleme language.
It would be recalled that at the wake of the Ekporo Ogu crisis both communities were living peacefully as good neighbours until politics enlightened the later for the purpose of strengthening economic and political stability in the scheme of things where the later used the political advantage it has waxed to exert undue advantage to seize the land of Ekporo, as history has it.
Ekporo people are farmers while Ogu people are fishermen that is the main occupation of both neighbours now at loggerhead or on warring part.
According to history the Ekporo while having vast of land; the Ogu people do have their claim in the waters (the sea). It then became clear that Ogu people need land to properly settle to do their fishing occupation as well as to have reasonable portion of land to function in the place.
This is where the problem started, while the king of Ogu is saying that Ekporo people are Ogu subjects, Ekporo king is saying that if you want more land ask and it will be given to you. This understanding was not established between the Ekporo and Ogu till 2010 when Ogu sent the entire community of Ekporo to exile till date as at the time of filing in this report.
We gathered that the king of Ogu has earlier written a letter saying that the only consideration for Ogu to allow Ekporo to settle at the very place of Ekporo people (land in dispute) is for Ekporo people to accept that, Ekporo people are subjects to Ogu.
From 2010 till the time of filing in this report, according to His Royal Highness Samuel S. Obe, he had written, many letters both to the federal and state governments to no avail.
Chief Obe said, while he believing God will at his own time return Ekporo people back to their ancestral land, he is appealing to Gov. Wike to use his good offices to return the people of Ekporo to their original ancestral land within the possible time, adding that Ekporo people appreciate him for his good disposition towards the people of Rivers State in his development strides.
Allanso Jonathan Allanso
