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The Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare, the second has said that the menace of Land grabbing in Edo State has assumed a worrisome dimension, warning that such abominable act will not be tolerated in Benin Kingdom.
This comes after the Oba took possession of his property in Ukhiri village, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, which was encroached on by some persons — aiming digs at the highly revered Benin throne.
Oba Ewuare II in his remarks when he received the newly deployed Commander, 4-Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin, Brigadier General Danlami Ndahi and members of the Opthalmological Society of Nigeria in his palace in Benin City, sued for the cooperation of stakeholders, including security agencies to stamp out the menace from the society.
He recalled some of the steps he took after his Ambassadorial assignment in Rome, Italy, before he ascended the throne of his forebears some years ago, emphasizing that Land grabbing which has been reconstructed by outlawed Community Development Association, will not be condoned in Benin Kingdom in any form.
According to him, "We are however worried about the activities of some unscrupulous elements in our midst as it is all over the world. It is a constant battle between good and evil ...We are concerned about land grabbers. You must have heard many negative things about CDAs where youths will be flogging elders.
"We did our best to curtail the activities of CDAs, which stand for Community Development Associations, CDAs, but here in Benin — Edo State, CDAs, it tended to have taken a different form — Community Destructive Associations, CDAs instead of Development Associations.
"Moreso, in Benin that is so cultural where youths control the system as if there are no elders in the society. CDA activities must cease. Our ancestors forbid their activities...They have destroyed the moral fibre and culture ethos of society — The very essence of our being — identity.
"Somebody will sell land to multiple buyers and they are at each other's throats; They are dragging each other's land, killing themselves. No respect for the traditional institution. No respect for the elders. We have to do something to stop it," he said.
While pledging his support for the Commander, in line with the doctrine of reciprocity, the Benin monarch also called on the federal government to strengthen the capacity of the military and its personnel in line with the challenges of the growing population in Nigeria.
"The military is under-staffed. The personnel need to be doubled. The population has increased tremendously. But I am not sure that the personnel of the army has increased proportionately. So, we appeal to the federal government to look into these areas and strengthen the military," Oba Ewuare said.
Addressing the Benin throne earlier, the newly deployed Commander, 4-Brigade of the Nigerian army Benin, solicited for prayers to be able to perform his duties diligently and strive to leave a lifetime memory.
Brig.-General Ndahi, was the Director of Administration, Nigeria army, Abuja before he assumed duty as 4-Brigade Commander on August 8, 2022.
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