Sahara is Our ancestral land, Ugborodo graduates reply Gbaramatu Female graduates

Members of Ugborodo Graduates Association, UGA, have refuted claims by Gbaramatu Female Graduates Association, over who owns Sahara, saying Sahara is Ugborodo ancestral land.                  

They asserted that there is no community known as Sarabubor, insisting that what the Gbaramatu Female graduates referred to as Sarabubor, is an adulteration of Sahara, an Ugborodo ancestral land, backed by documented history and traditional ownership.                             

 President of Ugborodo Graduates Association, Comrade Dogho Besidone and Public Relations Officer of the association, Onogho Gbubemi in a statement made available to Fresh Angle International Saturday November 22, averred that Gbaramatu people have consistent patterns of unfounded claims, when it concerns land ownership.

A Cross Section of Some Members of Ugborodo Graduates Association                 

The statement, reads: "The Ugborodo Graduates Association issues this open letter to address the recent publication by the Gbaramatu Female Graduates Association in which they laid claim to Sahara, a land that historically and traditionally belongs to the Itsekiri people of Ugborodo community.

 "Ordinarily, we would not have responded to such a publication. However, knowing fully well that this statement reflects influences beyond the signatories, the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob. We find it necessary to set the record straight.

 "Clarification on the Alleged “Sarabubor” Community:

" We state categorically that no community known as Sarabubor exists. The land referred to as Sahara is Ugborodo ancestral land, backed by documented history, traditional ownership, and uninterrupted usage from time immemorial without interference, contention, or dispute until recent attempts to distort established facts. 

" Consistent Patterns of Unfounded Claims:

It is public knowledge that attempts have been made over the years by some of your people particularly the Gbaramatu people who claim ownership of several Itsekiri communities. These include:

Okerenghigho community

 Omidudun community, Etc.

"Kantu, and Ijaghala communities which was unfortunately destroyed during the Warri crisis an event that clearly acknowledged the community’s Itsekiri identity

 "These repeated attempts reflect a troubling pattern of laying claim to established Itsekiri lands despite historical, cultural, and traditional evidence to the contrary.

 "On the Current Attempt to Claim Sahara:

"The recent attempt to extend such claims to Sahara is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The Ugborodo people have never ceded this land, nor do we intend to do so now or in the future. Sahara remains, without question, part of Ugborodo’s historical and ancestral heritage.

"A Call for Proper Historical Guidance:

We strongly advise the members of the said Gbaramatu Female Graduates Association to consult their elders and leaders, who are well aware of the true historical boundaries and ownership patterns in the area. Misrepresentation of history serves no one and only creates unnecessary tension among neighboring communities. 

"Our Position Remains Clear

"Sahara is Ugborodo land.

It has always been Ugborodo land.

It will remain Ugborodo land.

"We encourage mutual respect, truthfulness, and a commitment to peaceful coexistence anchored on verifiable history and longstanding communal identity."

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