TORU-EBE STATE CREATION: EDO IJAWS SHOULD NOT SUFFER OMOSEDE GABRIELLA IGBINEDION’S INFANTILE LEGISLATION – IYC
TORU-EBE STATE CREATION: EDO IJAWS SHOULD NOT SUFFER OMOSEDE GABRIELLA IGBINEDION’S INFANTILE LEGISLATION – IYC
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, has expressed deep dismay over the inappropriate and unfounded statement made by Hon. Omosede G. Igbinedion, the House of Representatives Member representing Ovia Federal Constituency, who recently moved a motion of public importance seeking the exclusion of Edo State riverine terrain from the proposed Toru-Ebe State.
Hon. Omosede’s claim that Ijaw territories are owned and controlled by the Benin Kingdom is not only baseless but absolutely unfounded. The Ijaws are the aboriginal inhabitants of the areas they occupy in Edo State today, while the Benin Kingdom traces its origins to migrants from the old Oyo Empire.
It must be stated clearly that, regarding state creation, Ijaws in Edo State do not require the consent or permission of the Edo State Government or any other ethnic nationality to be part of Toru-Ebe State. All Ijaw towns and settlements in Edo State exist solely within the five major Ijaw clans, and no part of their land falls under the monarchy of the Oba of Benin.
The identity of the Edo Ijaw people is Ijaw and will remain so. At no time in history has any Ijaw monarch in Edo State paid tribute or royalty to the Oba of Benin. Therefore, Hon. Omosede and what the IYC describes as “a gang of half-baked legislators” are advised to desist from interfering in the Ijaw decision to be part of Toru-Ebe State.
The leadership of the IYC Western Zone hereby condemns the resolution arising from the motion moved by Hon. Omosede and her supporters and issues the following declarations:
1. Condemn in strong terms the claim that no part of Edo State can be ceded to join the proposed Toru-Ebe State:
This claim, championed by the Benin Kingdom and its allies, is misleading and aimed at hindering genuine nation-building and development. The IYC and the Ijaws in Edo State do not require the permission of the Benin Kingdom—or any other group—to decide the inclusion of their ancestral lands in the Toru-Ebe State. Ijaw territories belong to the Ijaw people, and their decision regarding state creation is solely their constitutional right.
2. No Individual or Group Can Offer Edo Land Without Consent
The IYC affirms that no individual, caucus, or regional body has the authority to offer any part of Edo land without the consent of its people and due constitutional process. The Benin Kingdom, the IYC insists, is “too infinitesimal” to approve or deny Ijaw participation in Toru-Ebe State. Self-determination remains an inherent right.
3. Call to National Leaders to Reject Misleading Claims
The IYC calls on the President, the Senate President, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to dismiss the baseless claims allegedly presented by the Edo State Government and the Benin Kingdom. All aboriginal Ijaws in Edo State stand firmly in support of the creation of Toru-Ebe State.
4. Warning to South-South Stakeholders
The Council urges South-South stakeholders to avoid actions that threaten unity and historical truth. According to the IYC, the true historical narrative of the Benin Kingdom reflects a migration from the old Oyo Empire; therefore, claims to Ijaw territories are “a joke taken too far.” Stakeholders are urged to caution the Benin Kingdom to avoid provoking unnecessary conflict.
5. Call for Investigation into Boundaries
The IYC mandates relevant committees on Constitutional Review, Intergovernmental Affairs, and State Creation to investigate the matter and uphold established boundaries between the five Ijaw kingdoms in Edo State and Benin communities, in order to prevent further executive excesses and what it describes as legislative incompetence.
6. Reaffirmation of Ijaw Land Ownership
The Council reaffirms that Ijaw lands belong exclusively to Ijaw people, who are solely responsible for decisions concerning their heritage, identity, and political alignment. The IYC urges the Benin Kingdom to focus on protecting its own lands and stop laying claims to territories that do not belong to it.
Final Call
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, concludes by calling on all Ijaw legislators in the National Assembly to rise to the occasion and protect the collective patrimony of the Ijaw people from what it describes as external aggressors who do not wish them well.
Comments
Therefore, the Binis cannot overstep their limit against the ijaws.
The ijaws have been in their God given ancestral territories before the arrival of the Binis from Yoruba land.
Ijaws are the fourth largest tribe in the whole of Nigeria and one of the earliest oldest tribe in Nigeria.