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Nigerian army investigates as LG boss supports foreign nation

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.

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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