The Gbolomotin community in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State has refuted claims of its involvement in recent clashes that resulted in multiple deaths involving migrant Yoruba cocoa farmers.
While police reports confirmed five fatalities, eyewitness accounts suggest the death toll exceeds a dozen. In a statement issued in Benin City by community leader Karaem Ebimobobowei, the Gbolomotin community accused the migrant farmers of longstanding harassment and encroachment on lands reserved for Ijaw communities, violating prior land agreements.
Ebimobobowei alleged that the cocoa farmers expanded their farmlands beyond allocated boundaries and formed a vigilante group to enforce control, barring locals from using roads and paths connecting Ijaw villages. He claimed the vigilante group frequently attacked Gbolomotin residents, including women.
Tensions reportedly heightened last year when a young Ijaw man was killed by the vigilante group while returning from a funeral in Jide Village. Ebimobobowei further alleged that another youth, an Urhobo man harvesting wild palm trees, was shot dead by the same group, with police later dismissing the case.
The recent violence, according to the statement, erupted when Ijaw youths attempted to rescue community members during an attack but were ambushed by cocoa farmers and their vigilante group. “Four of our youths were killed, with two bodies taken away by the fleeing vigilantes, while several others sustained gunshot injuries,” Ebimobobowei said.
The Gbolomotin community called on the government and security agencies to conduct an impartial investigation, asserting their right to live and work peacefully on their ancestral land.
