The Secretary of Warri Urhobo National Congress, Victor Okumagba, asserted that the Itsekiri people have no ancestral roots in Warri Township.
He said this in a joint interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday amidst ongoing disputes over land ownership and the delineation of electoral wards and polling units in Warri North, Warri South, and South West local government areas of Delta State.
Okumagba responded to claims made by Chief Rita Lori Obgebor, a human rights activist, who argued that the Urhobos and Ijaws were attempting to seize Itsekiri land and authority. He said “There is no ancestral root of any Itsekiri man to Warri Township.”
Firmly dismissing these claims by Rita Lori, he cited a longstanding legal precedent. “Firstly, let me take the issue of ownership in Warri. This issue was laid to rest a long time ago in a case. For anybody to come up and say that the Itsekiris are the owners of Warri is very erroneous.”
He elaborated on the legal basis for his assertion, referring to the landmark case that established the criteria for land ownership. “If you’re talking about ownership, that’s the judgment we have in Warri, and in that judgment, the court held, among other things, that Olu Ginuwa, who is the progenitor of the Itsekiri people, did not get to Warri Township. If you’re saying that Warri belongs to you and the Supreme Court has ruled that you did not get to Warri, it is clear.”
Okumagba emphasised the distinction between different administrative areas within Warri. “There’s a distinction between Warri South Local Government Area and Warri Township, just like you have Warri North LGA and Cocoa Township. Because of the nature of Warri town, everybody wants to claim Warri. There is no ancestral root of any Itsekiri man to Warri Township. Chief Rita Lori has no connection to Warri Township.”
The itsekiri’s continue to insist that Warri kingdom belongs to them and that this delineation by INEC of electoral wards and polling units in warri north, south and south West local government as ordered by the Supreme court on December 2nd 2022 is an attempt by the Ijaws and the Urhobos to grab more powers in Warri kingdom.
On this part, Eric Omare, a lawyer representing the Ijaws of Warri, clarified rumours of security concerns in warri in relation to the implementation of the Supreme court judgement on the delineation, he said, “There is no security threat in Warri at all. If there’s any part of Nigeria that is safe now, Warri is one of those places.”
Omare further pointed out the enthusiasm among local communities for the delineation process. “Our people are enthusiastically looking forward to this delineation because they feel like it would give them the opportunity to participate in the political process. The only grievance that we have is that INEC should have complied with the judgment immediately.”
Highlighting the legal and traditional context surrounding the title of the king of Itsekiri, who is called Olu of Warri, Omare emphasised that the designation does not imply territorial ownership.
He said, “The Delta state traditional rulers’ law says that although he is called the Olu of warri, he is the traditional ruler of the Itsekiri people” and not the entire Warri.
Okumagba referenced past efforts to address the crisis in Warri, including reports from three commissions of inquiry. “One of those reports is to change the title from Olu of Warri to Olu of Itsekiri. It was one of the major causes of the crisis.”
Underscoring the current state of affairs and efforts to maintain peace and harmony, Okumagba asserted, “Warri town is different from Warri South Local Government. There is no threat. There won’t be any problem if INEC delineates. There is nothing like tension in Warri. it’s very peaceful except for hunger. On the 9th of May, all stakeholders and ethnic nationalities were brought together to discuss peace, and there is relative peace in Warri. There’s no tension.”
Nancy Mbamalu
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