The five Ijaw kingdoms in Edo State—Egbema, Olodiama, Okomu, Gbaran, and Furupagha—have accused the Edo State Government and the palace of the Oba of Benin of persistent deprivation, balkanization, and threat to peaceful coexistence. The leaders of the kingdoms said that for decades, Ijaws in Edo State have been subjected to marginalization and treated as second-class citizens in their ancestral lands, and they demanded autonomy. President of Ijaws in Edo State, Chief Robinson Ogunkoruwei, who read a statement on behalf of other signees during a press briefing at Gelegeles community, alleged that the Ijaw population, spread across over 500 communities in Ovia South-West, Ovia North-East, and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas, has been deliberately split to deny them a collective political voice, while attempts have been made to rename and annex their communities.
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