By Thompson Yamput
The Bagana Natives’ Forum (BNF) has issued a stern warning to ID Ijele over his consistent attacks on the revered stool of OnuIfe and claims of ownership of Bagana.
The group urged Gov. Ahmed Ododo and Hon. Edibo Mark Ameh to disregard Ijele’s inflammatory statements and take decisive action to prevent him from disrupting the ongoing peace process in the area.
The BNF spokesperson, Alhaji Ismailia Umar Imam Bagana, in a statement signed in Lokoja on Thursday, said Ijele’s behavior was a sign of “dysfunctional parentage” and a hangover from the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) defeat in Kogi State.
The group asserted that Bagana is not a “no man’s land” but a community with a rich history and valid claims of ownership by its aborigines, including the Nupes, Kakandas, Hausas, and Igalas.
They described Omagede people, Ijele’s community, as late settlers who cannot claim ownership of Bagana.
The BNF alleged that Ijele and his collaborators have launched consistent attacks on Bagana natives, targeting their properties, killing, maiming, and raping their wives and children.
They warned Ijele to stop his “songs of war” and desist from making claims of ownership of Bagana, lest the natives retaliate.
The group also disputed Ijele’s claims of a court judgment ceding Bagana to Omagede, describing it as a fallacy and a twisted interpretation of the law.
They argued that the traditional stool, headship of religious bodies, and market leadership are key determinants of ownership, and in Bagana’s case, these positions have been rotated among the Nupes, Kakandas, Hausas, and Igalas, with no representation from Omagede.
The BNF commended Governor Ododo for promoting peace in Bagana and appealed for the hasty completion of the process of appointing a substantive Onu Bagana and relocating Onuh Otutubatu and Ihiankpe to their respective domains to fast-track enduring peace in the area.
