By DADA AYOKHAI
Residents of Evbo-Iyamu Community in Uhunwonde Local Government Area of Edo State have appealed to the *Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo*, the Oba of Benin and relevant security agencies to come to their aid over the alleged destruction of a bridge across the Oken River
The community said they decided to raise the alarm to draw the attention of concerned authorities to the incident.
They alleged that some indigenes of Egba Community were responsible for the destruction of the bridge.
According to them, the bridge links a section of Evbo-Iyamu to its ancestral land and farmlands , and its destruction has cut off access and affected livelihoods in the area.
The General Secretary of Evbo-Iyamu community, Deacon Samson Eguagie while speaking to journalists after on the spot assessment of the destruction said some indigenes who went to the river to fetch water early on Monday, August 31, 2026, raised the alarm after allegedly sighting some people from Egba destroying the bridge.
According to him, the alleged perpetrators fled the scene after the alarm was raised, before other members of the community could arrive.
Eguagie said the development was connected to a land dispute, alleging that people from Egba had continued to lay claim to a portion of Evbo-Iyamu land located across the river, despite a September 28, 2024 ruling by the Palace.
He said the ruling was followed by a boundary demarcation exercise on October 7, 2024, but alleged that the Egba people had continued to lay claim to the land
“We are supposed to be neighbours, but they (Egba people) are taking us as enemies because they said they have money,” he alleged.
Eguagie appealed to the governor, the Palace of the Benin Monarch and security agencies, to intervene in the matter before it escalates.
Also speaking the second -in- command ( Ozukpogieva) in Evbo-Iyamu community, Pa Osaigbovo Uhunamure; a prominent son of the community, Dr David Iyamu; and a woman leader, Madam Idiagbonmwen Obayagbona, said the Oken River had never served as a boundary between the two communities from time immemorial of the community’s existence.
However, the Vice President of the Egba Development Association, Mr Julius Obaghise, denied the community’s involvement in the alleged destruction of the bridge.
Obaghise, who spoke by telephone, said the Oken River serves as a boundary between the two communities.
He disclosed that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Egba, accompanied by representatives of both communities, visited the site of the bridge on Sunday for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation
Evbo-Iyamu Community Seeks Gov Okpebholo, Oba Of Benin’s Intervention Over Destroyed Bridge
