… Attah Igala Describes Action as Draconian
the Ibaji Development Association, IDA, has maintained its position to enforce its bylaw ostracizing the Ikah community following the burning and destruction of lives and properties of neighboring Iregwu village by the former. This step was taken in a bid to forestall incessant communal crises in Ibaji Local Government of Kogi State.
The Association who said it will not change its decision wielding the big stick against the Ikah Community unless they show remorse and rebuild the burnt Iregwu village within twelve months, also take a swipe against the Attah of Igala’s decision to revise its position.
Speaking with newsmen yesterday in Onyedega, headquarters of the LGA on why such decision was taken, National President of the Association, John Ojih, said the association and nine other affiliated organisation in the LGA jointly condemned the Ikah community for burning down the smaller Iregwu village over ‘issues that did not concerned them”; thereby forcing them to take refuge in other lands after their community was reduced to a rubble.
According to him, “The Ikah people have been ordered to rebuild the community (Iregwu) within the next twelve months and until they carried out that sanction, they remained excommunicated from other communities in Ibaji Local government.
Ojih expressed dismay that the Attah was taking side with people that have violated their standing rule which have been in use and has helped in curtailing arson and restored peace in the LGA for ages, “Our peculiarities as a riverrine people who have almost been neglected by Government left us with no other option than to apply our traditional means of checkmating violence and insecurity through sanctions that have been clearly spelt out for all ages before now.
“Ibaji local Government is made up of about 96 communities and a population of over one million but there are less than 25 policemen deployed to the area to protect the lives and property of the people. Without this traditional method we will be left to the mercy of evil acts just as was done by the Ikah community; because they are mighty and powerful than their neighbours.”
Ojih said the crises between Iregwu and Ikah was unfounded because the fish pond that they were fighting over was not in any way close to Ikah territory but between Uchuchu and Ikah; wondered why the Ikah community will act in such dastard manner, “When the fight started in the evening, we sent people there the next morning when the houses were not yet raised down. For them (Ikah) not to report but went into fighting a small village like that and burning down all the houses there is bad and the association had to condemn it, and we will continue to stand by our sanction excommunicating them.”
He said the association, which is the social cultural body for the whole council area had resolved that people of Ikah should rebuild all the houses they destroyed, and also barred every person of Ikah origin from associating with anybody and should not have anything in common with the rest Ibaji communities.
However the Attah of Igala, HRM, Dr. Ameh Oboni had frowned at the stringent sanctions against Ikah which he said were draconian and against the spirit of the Nigerian constitution.
The Attah which described the IDA’s decision has a primitive mode of settlement, “Excommunication of citizens of Ibaji is an overreaction to an internal matter.
“Arrogating these enormous responsibilities to the IDA is a departure from the civilised norms of governance which brought peace before this intrusion.”
The Attah warned that the IDA lacks power of any enforcement under any law in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and should therefore limit itself to community development.
