Edo State Vs Oke-Oroma: Elders Accuse Profiling Committee of Defying Court Order, Raise Fresh Alarm Over Disputed Ancestral Land

By Reporter

The long-running dispute over the ownership of ancestral land in Oke-Oroma Community, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, has taken a fresh turn as elders of the community have accused members of the state government’s Profiling Committee of allegedly acting contrary to Governor Monday Okpebholo’s directive and subsisting court orders governing the disputed property.

Oke-Oroma community leaders also threatened to invoke a subsisting court order against Governor Monday Okpebholo and relevant government officials if activities on the disputed land continue despite pending litigation.

Addressing journalists, the Odionwere (community head), Gaius Idusuyi Emokpae, said the elders decided to speak out to prevent what they described as a looming breakdown of law and order in the community.

According to him, Governor Okpebholo had directed that the disputed land be profiled and returned to its rightful owners after reviewing complaints surrounding acquisitions carried out during the previous administration.

However, he alleged that some officials involved in the profiling exercise were acting outside both the governor’s directive and existing court orders.

“We are appealing to Governor Monday Okpebholo to ensure that his directive is faithfully implemented and that the Profiling Committee either releases the land to the rightful owners or allows the matter to be determined by the court in accordance with the rule of law,” Emokpae said.

The dispute is currently before High Court 9 in Benin City presided over by Justice Ovbiagele.
Court records indicate that in Suit No. B/61/2022, filed on July 9, 2026, Emokpae, Monday Omoroguiwa, Abel Uwadiae Emokpae, Silvester Obayuwana and two others, acting on behalf of Oke-Oroma Community, filed processes seeking enforcement of the court’s order through Form 48, the statutory notice of consequences of disobedience to a court order.

The case stems from an interlocutory injunction earlier granted by the Edo State High Court restraining the Edo State Government, Governor Monday Okpebholo, the Attorney-General of Edo State, the Edo State Geographic Information Service (EdoGIS) and about 20 other defendants, including neighbouring communities, from carrying out any activity on the disputed ancestral land pending the determination of the substantive suit.

According to the community, the injunction was initially granted by Justice V.O. Eborime of High Court 8 before the matter was reassigned following the judge’s transfer. The case later came before Justice Akinkhere and is now being heard by Justice Ovbiagele at High Court 9.

The elders insisted that the current proceedings primarily concern what they described as continued disobedience of the court’s injunction.

They also questioned the credibility of the ongoing profiling exercise conducted by EdoGIS, alleging significant discrepancies in the list of persons recognised as developers on the land.

Emokpae claimed that while records showed about 200 developers were captured during an earlier exercise conducted in 2019, the number allegedly increased to over 3,000 following Governor Okpebholo’s directive to restore the land to its rightful owners.

According to him, many of the newly listed individuals have no historical or ancestral connection to Oke-Oroma Community.

The community further alleged that certain officials within EdoGIS, working in collaboration with the secretary of the Profiling Committee, Abdul-Wasui Oyakhire, were attempting to revive the controversial Coral City initiative introduced under former Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The elders claimed that after the Coral City project was abandoned, the same interests allegedly established another entity known as Edo New Towns Development Company Limited as a replacement.

According to them, the move was aimed at frustrating Governor Okpebholo’s promise to reverse previous land acquisitions and return disputed lands to their original owners.
The land dispute has remained one of the contentious legacy issues inherited by the current administration.

During the 2024 governorship campaign, Governor Okpebholo had promised to restore lands allegedly acquired from affected communities under the previous administration.

After assuming office, he publicly reaffirmed that commitment and criticised the acquisition process carried out by the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki, describing it as unjust to host communities.

To implement the policy, the governor inaugurated a Profiling Committee headed by Dr. Ikpasaja to identify genuine landowners and developers. Following changes in the committee’s leadership, Abdul-Wasui Oyakhire assumed responsibility as secretary and has since coordinated much of the profiling exercise.

However, sections of the Oke-Oroma leadership have repeatedly accused the committee of departing from the governor’s mandate.

Responding to the allegations, Oyakhire dismissed claims that officials had incorporated a company known as Edo New Towns Development Company Limited.

He argued that under the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) regulations, private individuals cannot register companies using the name of a state government.

According to him, it was the previous administration that operated a company known as New Town Development to coordinate property profiling, adding that Governor Okpebholo had expressly stated that his administration would not continue with that arrangement.

Oyakhire also rejected allegations of irregularities in the profiling process.

He maintained that recognised community leaders participated in the exercise, were allocated between two and three plots each alongside some of their relatives, and that several beneficiaries subsequently sold the plots to third parties.

He further alleged that while some community leaders publicly criticised the exercise, others privately expressed satisfaction with the government’s handling of the dispute.

He warned against what he described as the spread of false information capable of undermining Governor Okpebholo’s efforts to resolve the land crisis.

The Oke-Oroma elders, however, insist that the subsisting interlocutory injunction remains binding on all parties and warned that any further activity on the disputed land before the court delivers judgment could amount to contempt of court.

The matter is expected to continue before the Edo State High Court as both the legal proceedings and the government’s profiling exercise remain under public scrutiny.