Five years after the Lagos State Government constituted a panel of inquiry into the bloody clash on Monday, May 2, 2011, between Egbin and Ijede communities both in Ikorodu division, details of the investigation as well as recommendations of the panel and decisions of the state government have been revealed.
The May 2011 civil disturbance led to destruction of properties, body injuries on many people, arrest of forty (40) persons and palpable fear of reprisal attacks which lasted several days and pitched the two monarchs, HRM Oba (Dr) Adeoriyomi Oyebo of Egbin against his counterpart, Late HRM Oba F.A. Oresanya of Ijede and their subjects/communities against one another.
Disturbed by the Mayhem of that eventful day, the then governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola set up a seven man panel of inquiry headed by Hon. Justice Sunday O. Ishola (Rtd) to look into the dispute.
Other members of the panel include Mr. Michael Ola Dawodu, Director, Boundary Matters and Secretary, Boundary Committee; Mr. Joseph O. Agbenla, Deputy Surveyor-General of the State; Mrs. Kehinde Taiwo, Assistant Director, Ministry of Justice; Mr. Tope Saidi, Assistant Director, Political and Legislative Bureau; Superintendent of Police Bayonle Sulaimon, Chairman, Taskforce on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit and Mr. Idowu Olugbenga Kehinde, Assistant Director, Cabinet Office.
The panel was mandated to look into the immediate and remote causes of the crisis between both communities on the land/boundary dispute, traditional rites and observance of festivals.
The panel was told to call for memoranda from members of the public on the matter concerning the performance of Eyibi/Eluku festivals by Egbin community and to visit landmark areas mentioned in the course of the investigation such as Ipakan Area and to make appropriate recommendations to prevent future crisis.
The panel swung into action putting out paid advertisements in national newspapers such as The Punch and Community Newspaper such as Oriwu Sun as well as the electronic Media such as LTV and Radio Lagos and printed posters to ensure a credible public hearing of the matter.
In its white paper, the state government confirmed that the panel kept to the terms of reference given to it and commended their work.
The panel found out that both Egbin and Ijede had been living in harmony until the Egbin Kingdom was established in 2010 and recommended that the two obas in the zone should recognize the independence of their communities and none should usurp the power of the other. Hence, the Government directed the ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs compliance with its statutory duties to exercise supervisory role over the extent and coverage of powers exercised by traditional rulers.
The panelists found that the control of NEPA Resettlement center located between the two communities was one of the remote and immediate causes of the dispute as both of them claimed ownership and control over the property in absolute disregard to the NEPA acquisition of 1981 corroborated by a judgment by Justice H. A. W. Abiru which held that the property including the undeveloped land at NEPA Resettlement center, Egbin, is the property of NEPA, that the Ipakan community resettled by PHCN at its Resettlement Estate and the Lagos Thermal Station Egbin are not customary tenants of other host communities including Egbin.
The panel recommended that the NEPA resettlement center should be run like an estate; hence, its affairs should be by a Community Development Association with supervision of relevant agencies of the government at both the local government and state government levels and not by traditional Baale since the people were not land owning families in their former location but house owners who were resettled at the center. It recommended that both Egbin and Ijede should respect Justice Abiru’s judgement which declared the center as the property of NEPA.
The state government directed the Surveyor General, Hon Attorney General and Lands Bureau to investigate and determine the ownership of the land before acquisition by the defunct NEPA for its resettlement.
On the appointment of Baale of Ipakan Nla and Ipakan Kekere, the panel recommended that the installation of Baales of the two areas by HRM Oba F.A Oresanya, the Alajede of Ijede, is beyond his powers hence, both appointments be revoked.
The State government directed the Surveyor General, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Lands Bureau to investigate and determine the ownership of Ipakanland.
It was discovered by the panel that the use of the photograph of HRM Oba Oresanya of Ijede in the brochure of the installation and presentation of the staff of office to HRM Oba Oyebo (the Obateru of Egbin) were another issues that caused disharmony between the two monarchs as Oba Oresanya complained that his photograph was used intentionally in that brochure to smear him.
Also cited was the speech Oba Oyebo made at his coronation in 2010 which was said to be another cause of disharmony.
Government accepted the recommendation of the panel on this matter and directed the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to work more closely with the Royal Fathers to ensure that there are no unpleasant occurrences during installation through vetting of speeches before coronations/installations and teaching (tutoring) the royal fathers traditionally and administratively before and after their coronations.
On the controversy over festivals, the panel established that before the 2011 crisis, both Egbin and Ijede had been performing the annual rites of Eyibi and Eluku festivals together but Apoti popo has never been carried beyond Ijede except for the incursion of 2010 and 2011 which led to the crisis between both communities.
The panel recommended that both towns should confine the observance and performance of traditional rites and festivals within their communities rather than extending such outside their territories. Government accepted this recommendation and directed the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to collaborate with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture in its exercise of oversight functions on performance of traditional rites and festivals in the state.
The crisis also has some political dimensions and undertones. It was discovered that the position of the chairman of Ijede LCDA to the two Obas was discriminatory as seen in the non-payment of the salaries and emolument of the Obateru of Egbin as a monarch for over eight months despite the fact that the LCDA was promptly informed of his elevation to Obaship status and that his imprest was also not paid for about thirteen (13) months.
Also, the naming of a youth centre constructed by the Lagos State Ministry of Youths, Sports and Social Development, on a land donated by Egbin as Youth center Ijede became a contentious issue which did not go down well with Egbin people. Nor did the establishment of LCDA headquarters at Ijede and naming same after Ijede satisfy Egbin people.
Finally in this regard, Egbin is aggrieved by the reference of Alajede of Ijede as the paramount ruler of Ijede LCDA. Government accepted the panel’s recommendation that its officials be they career or political should not be partisan in the course of carrying out their statutory functions, schedule and responsibilities as both Obas ought to be treated equally.
The government confirmed that Obateru of Egbin should not arrogate to himself any title not stated in the instrument of his appointment or approved by the State Government.
Similarly, the government said it will restrain Alajede of Ijede from arrogating or referring to himself as the paramount ruler of Ijede LCDA because no Oba is crowned as a paramount ruler of any LCDA or the state. The government said that the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has been directed to address these issues. It also said that the Surveyor General, the Hon. Attorney General and the Lands Bureau had been directed to investigate and establish the ownership of the land on which the Youth Center Ijede is cited.
Addressing the economic factors at stake, the panel affirmed that prior to the acquisition of the land by NEPA for the Thermal Station, both Egbin and Ijede lived cordially but the coming of the thermal station, the Nigerian Gas Company, AES Barges Ltd and recently NNPC/Chevron Independent Power Project became the economic factors bringing friction between both communities.
Whereas Egbin people complained that Ijede cornered all the benefits accruing from these companies in terms of Corporate Social Responsibilities to the communities, the State government ruled that there should be equity in such discharge of CSR to enhance development, peace and amity in the area. Hence, it has directed the ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs in conjunction with other relevant MDA’s to enlighten the corporate organizations on the existing traditional institutions that should be given due recognition in performing these CSR.
On the Boundary demarcation between both towns which was glossed over by the two sides during centuries of peaceful coexistence, the panel recommended that the boundary demarcation by NEPA as depicted on the NEPA acquisition map prepared by Surveyor E.A. Adeniran with plan No. LS/E.D214/72 should be adopted as it clearly separates Egbin Community from Ijede Community, that the office of the Surveyor General of the state should be directed to put in place the boundary beacons as depicted in the NEPA acquisition survey plan by Adeniran.
Government decided as follows after noting the recommendation and directed the Permanent secretary, ministry of local Government and chieftaincy affairs to report back to His Excellency in file, whether the two Baales of Ipakan Nla and Ipakan Kekere were entitled by native law and custom to be appointed as Baales and whether the provision of the Obas and Chiefs law were followed in the appointments of the two Baales.
After noting that previous efforts by the ministry of chieftaincy affairs and those of the state and Ikorodu division council of Obas to settle the crisis between Alajede and Obateru failed, the panel recommended that an all embracing peace and reconciliation committee be constituted to resolve the crisis.