Iru Did Not Request Inclusion in Proposed Anioma State, Community Declares

The Odionwere of Iru People in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State and the Elders-in-Council have said the Iru people did not, at any time, agitate or request to be included in the proposed Anioma State.In a press statement, the community said it had been “following keenly reports circulating on social media regarding alleged calls for Iru to be included in the proposed Anioma State.”According to the statement, after carefully reviewing the claims and related online content, “the Iru people did not, at any time, agitate or request to be included in the proposed Anioma State through any medium.”The community therefore “categorically refute the misleading narratives circulating on social media, particularly a video purporting that Iru people are canvassing for inclusion in the proposed Anioma State.”The statement maintained that the Iru people of Orhionmwon Local Government Area “have been an integral part of Edo State since the early 1920s.”It added: “We are bona fide indigenes of Edo State and descendants of Isi and Oso lineages, with ancestral roots in the ancient Benin Kingdom. We are not an Igbo community residing in Edo State as falsely claimed in some online campaigns. Our culture and traditions are fundamentally Benin in origin, even though we speak the Ika language.”The community also described the social media content and videos in circulation, including one attributed to “Spirit Almighty,” as “the handiwork of mischief-makers seeking to create confusion around the proposed Anioma State.”“The video is entirely false and should be disregarded in its entirety,” the statement said.The Odionwere and the Elders-in-Council further stated that “the creation of states in Nigeria is the exclusive prerogative of the Federal Government, as provided for in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”It added that “the National Assembly is vested with the authority to consider and determine such matters, including the delineation of boundaries for any proposed new state.”The community appealed to members of the public “to desist from circulating false and misleading information on social media regarding this matter.”It reaffirmed that “the Iru people remain loyal and grateful to the Edo State Government and to His Royal Majesty, the Oba of Benin.”

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