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Calm Returns to Warri As Soldiers Wade in
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This Day (Lagos)
February 2, 2003
Posted to the web February 3, 2003
Collins Edomaruse
Lagos
Calm returned to Warri yesterday following the drafting of military personnel tp the hotspots of clashes between Urhobos and Itsekiri which claimed no fewer than four lives on Friday.
THISDAY checks in the city revealed that the military personnel who are mainly on surveillance around the Okere Market Estate, have succeeded in instilling some degree of sanity in the area.
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It will be recalled that the fresh crisis which started about 4 o'clock Friday led to the torching of about ten houses. Residents fled the area to escape being caught in the cross fire.
The leader of the Urhobos, Chief Benjamin Okumagba, was not available for comments when THISDAY called on him in his house. Meanwhile, soldiers were seen parading the area as at yesterday evening.
It could be recalled that the Urhobo/Itsekiri/Ijaw crisis has been a recurrent issue in Delta State since 1997 as a result of the siting of Warri South Local Government which was put in Ogbe-Ijoh which was where the Ijaw wanted it. The Itsekiris wanted the local government headquarters to be sited in Ogidigben, which was an Itsekiri area. Through lobbying, the Itsekiris were able to get the government to rescind the decision to site the headquarters in Ogbe-Ijoh and it was brought to Ogdigben. This led to bloody crisis then which left hundreds of people dead.
After efforts were made to douse the crisis which actually paid off for some time until July 1999 when another round of bloody clashes broke out between the Itsekiri and Urhobo youths leading to deaths and destruction of properties.
Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots which brought a semblance of peace to the area with a dusk to dawn curfew being imposed on the area. This was lifted after some time.
The state governor, Chief James Ibori, had moved to solve the problem once and for all after he came in. He moved the local government headquarters back to Ogbeh-Ijoh while he made other concessions to placate the Itsekiri. The latest crisis might have made another round of troubleshooting imperative.
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