Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of Baruten Local Council, Abdulrasheed Lafia, who is also the chairman of the Local Government Boundary Commission has a different view.
Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed
Following the reports that 16 villages were
encroached on by the citizens of Benin Republic, fully armed soldiers,
had arrived Kwara for thorough investigation as announced by the
Nigerian Army.
Reports revealed that the armed men arrived Kwara on Friday, November 20, 2015 and visited Okuta in Baruten Local Council of Kwara State to confirm alleged annexation of 16 villages in the area by the neighbouring Benin Republic.
Though
the Kwara State government denied that any of the villages was annexed
saying all is well in the state, the Defence Headquarters had ensured a
panel investigated the matter while exploring diplomatic means to
resolve the issue.
A report by Saturday Vanguard
revealed that the soldiers met with the Emir of Okuta and his
traditional chiefs briefly before going to visit the affected areas.
Interestingly,
the affected areas remained calm as residents of Okuta and the villages
went about their normal businesses while the Emir of Okuta, Alhaji Idris Serio Abubakar maintained sealed lips over the matter.
The Kwara state government, in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Alhaji Mahmud Ajeigbe,
stressed that the affected villages of Okuta District of Baruten Local
Government Area of the state are calm and still under the control of the
Federal Government.
The statement further
stressed that although no foreign government has erected any structure
nor hoisted their national flag in any of the villages as erroneously
reported in the media, the state government has alerted the security
agencies on the reports.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of Baruten Local Council, Abdulrasheed Lafia, who is also the chairman of the Local Government Boundary Commission has a different view.
He
maintained that the 16 villages actually belonged to Benin Republic
based on an earlier agreement and that the issue surrounding the
disputed Ogomue land had been resolved since 2005.
Lafia
claimed that the National Boundary Commission after it visited the site
in 2004 had resolved that the land actually belonged to Benin Republic.
However,
the Defence headquarters has reiterated that no single Nigerian
territory will be allowed into the hands of intruders or any foreign
nation.
And to ensure this, a high powered
investigative panel has been initiated to probe the Benin Republic the
invasion of Nigeria’s territory.
Post a Comment