The people of oil producing Diebiri Kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State have cried out to the state government to urgently include them in the settlement of the Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja boundary dispute, having suffered the same destruction during the crisis.

According to the paramount ruler of Diebiri Kingdom, Mr James Orubu, in 1995 when the crisis between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja started, Diebiri Kingdom suffered a great loss to the frontal attacks by the two warring communities, leading to the sack of the kingdom.

He said Diebiri people have been neglected since the crisis 21 years ago despite being an oil producing community.

The development led to the setting up of a Commission of Inquiry by the then Military Administrator, Ibrahim Kefas, but till date nothing has been done by the successive governments to help their situation.

He noted that despite several petitions and position papers sent to the government to help provide protection and rebuild the devastated oil producing Diebiri Kingdom, the case has remained the same.

In a swift reaction, the State Commissioner for Information, Mr Patrick Ukah, appealed to the aggrieved community to further make their position known to government while the peace efforts of the state government on the Oge-Ijoh and Aladja crisis would continue.

The people of Diebiri Kingdom, who have now relocated to neighbouring Batan community due to the attack by the warring factions produces over 40,000 barrels per day from oil exploration by various oil firms.

Despite ongoing exploration of oil in the area, there are no basic amenities, such as schools, health facilities and pipe-borne water.

This development led to a peaceful protest by the people of Diebiri kingdom who called on the state government to assist them in returning to their ancestral home.

Some of the protesters expressed dissatisfaction with what they called neglect by the state government in spite of their peaceful clamour for attention.

•Sourced from Channels TV. Photo shows Governor Okowa.

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