NewStats: 3,263,108 , 8,179,127 topics. Date: Wednesday, 04 June 2025 at 05:50 PM 6i6x3t

The Itsekiri National Youths Council has queried the Ogbe-Ijoh community over its land ownership claim in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, submitting that “Ogbe-Ijoh has no claim in Warri South!”

This was contained in a statement by INYC, Warri South chapter, signed tly by its Secretary and Public Relations Officer, Comrades Ajemijeroma Gabriel Mene-Ejegi and Amejuma Adidi, respectively, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri, Delta State on Wednesday.

Ijaw Youth Council, in Ogbe-Ijoh Warri kingdom, had earlier stated in a press release signed by its Chairman and secretary, Comrades Omare Moses and Donye Vincent, respectively, that “Warri township does not belong to one ethnic group and that the Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh and Urhobos of Okere and Agbarah share common boundaries, and are the landlords of Warri township.”

Ogbe-Ijoh had claimed that “the NNPCL and its JVs are hosted by the Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh, with their office located along NPA road, just opposite the Nigeria Naval base and the land on which its office complex is sited belongs to the Ogbe-Ijoh people.”

Ogbe-Ijoh had further claimed that “it is a known fact that the Itsekiris found their way to the present day Warri township as tenants to the Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh.”

In conclusion, Ogbe-Ijoh “urged the Itsekiris in Warri to go back home and develop their villages and their headquarter – Ode Itsekiri – which was leased to them by the good people of Ogbe-Ijoh on the premise of hospitality and way of benevolence, because they are not aborigines of Warri and this is because we know their history, just in case they have forgotten.”

However, the Itsekiri group, in its statement declared that Itsekiri “shall continue to defend our territorial integrity against aggressors and will never relent.”

The Itsekiri group maintained that “every empirical material, bears testament to Ogbe-Ijoh being in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State of Nigeria and not in Warri South Local Government Area.”

The Itsekiri group said, “The attention of the INYC, Warri South Local Government chapter has been drawn to a reply by the Ogbe-Ijoh/Warri kingdom IYC to the Itsekiri ownership of Warri, especially as against the Ijaw people of any description.

“We elect to presently respond to the extant publication on this occasion that: first, it is baffling that the publication was made under the name ‘Ogbe-Ijoh/Warri kingdom,’ when every empirical material bears testament to Ogbe-Ijoh being in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State of Nigeria and not in Warri South Local Government Area.’’

“Secondly, [b]it is worthy of note that besides empirical materials, the law has also settled this issue on several occasions including: (a) the decision of the High Court of Justice in suit No: W/277/2012: Chief E.F. Esisi & 10 Ors vs. The Governor of Delta State & 5 Ors, where the honourable court referred extensively to the decision of R.W. Rhodes-Vivour J, sitting in Warri High Court in suit No. W/148/56 before the Warri High Court between Chief Izoukumo Olioki & 5 Ors (for themselves and on behalf of the Ogbe-Ijoh people) vs Itsekiri Communal Land Trustees and Chief Sam Warri Esi (for himself and on behalf of Agbassa and the Igbudu people) over the declaration of title to land in Warri, including the areas now being claimed by the people of Ogbe-Ijoh of Warri; the relevant portion being as follows: ‘On the 9/7/64, this court delivered its ruling refusing the plaintiffs application to discontinue after the trial date had been fixed to the knowledge of the parties…The plaintiffs are hereby precluded from bringing any further actions action against any or either of the 1st and 2nd defendants in respect of the claims of which specific particulars were given in the Writ of Summons.’[/b]

“The action then instituted on the same subject matter with the extant one, by the people of Ijaw was struck out and in following this line of decision, the honourable court struck out the action again.

[b]“(b) Again, with the of top Ijaw leaders, the Ama Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh, had conceived a plan to launch into Warri South Local Government Area to establish an Ijaw kingdom called Ogbe-Ijoh kingdom of Warri South. They instituted the suit initially against only the local government council and the state, but the Isekiri people raised an objection and the suit was struck out before 2020.

“(c) Sequel to the above development, the Ijaws instituted suit no. W/147/2020 between HRM Amaokosu Mobene vs. the Executive Governor of Delta State & 5 Ors by which the Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh claimed to be entitled to royalties in Warri South Local Government Area and after four years of intense legal tussle, the suit was struck out for being incompetent and lacking in merit.

“(d) The suit was secretly instituted in Asaba as opposed to Warri and they began pursuing it secretly almost securing judgment when the Itsekiris discovered and ed; the matter was then transferred back to Warri in 2022. Judgment was eventually delivered on the 26th day of March 2024 in favour of the Itsekiris.
[/b]
“From the above, it is very apparent that the propensity of the Ogbe-Ijoh people to make entrance into Warri South knows no bounds. They started in 1964 and have continued even till 2024 and on each occasion, failed and will continue to fail.

“We shall continue to defend our territorial integrity against aggressors and will never relent. Ogbe-Ijoh has no claim in Warri South!”

https://punchng.com/communal-dispute-brews-as-itsekiri-ijaw-tango-over-land-in-delta/

Ogbe-ijoh dey fight Aladja(Urhobo) for land.
Ogbe-ijoh dey fight Itshekiri for land.
Una too like trouble.😏

Na WA oo. Land matter no be here oo.

Please, patronize us. Check my signature

The rest of the world has left us far behind but we insist on destroying ourselves with things that don't matter and will not benefit our children.

Make them no sha kill themselves

I hope sojas won't be invited to settle this one

Itsekiri the smallest ethnic group in Delta State is fighting everybody. Today they are fighting Urhobo over Warri, today Ijaw in Warri South West or Warri North.

I have never seen ethnic group that's not big enough to fill a single local government of their own make so much noise like the Itsekiri.
You share Warri South with Urhobo and Ijaw, share Warri South West with Ijaw, share Warri North with Ijaw yet Itsekiri are the ones calling Ijaw and Urhobo tenants in Warri.

Even Olu of Itsekiri that Awolowo promoted to Olu of Warri that cannot access everywhere in Warri without being chased away by Urhobo boys...yet Itsekiri make the loudest noise in Delta State warning either Urhobo or Ijaw that's bigger than them all the time.
They better sit down and discuss like brothers before another round of fighting will break out.
It may not favour them as even Urhobo is patiently waiting to instil and expand Wado City if Itsekiri go the war route.

I hope one faction will not be inviting soldiers again

no be only tango , u will still dance salsa

Land

NOOO

tiswell:
I hope sojas won't be invited to settle this one

Dem no go gree near there

Hmm.

What is the claim of the Ijaws and Urhobos over Warri, seeing that Warri as a name originated from the Itsekiris?

Having settled for Ogbe Ijoh as the local government headquarters of Warri South West by the Obasanjo government, how are the Ijaws laying claim to Ode Itsekiri as their ancestral land too.

The Ijaws inhabit the south and east of that area, do they also own the land to the Atlantic, where the Ijaws have owned and interacted with white slave traders since the 17th century?

Can someone clarify here please?

tiswell:
I hope sojas won't be invited to settle this one

Exactly what I first said, but soldiers never went there to settle dispute.

Mak dem allow Dem deal with dem sef....


Land wey dem no carry come from heaven people wey dem inherit am from don die na the same thing derr ancestors no fit carry go heaven na him dem wan kill dem sef on.....

Good luck to them on their land conflict. Na how to make money be my problem.

E no easy to get Ijaws as Neighbours.


If Nigeria ceases to be a country, the amount of bloodshed that will be recorded will never be seen anywhere else in this world. Rwanda will be a child's play.

Ijaws and Itsekiri have been fighting each other in Delta state since 1952.

This was how the 1999 warri crisis started it was bitter, it was brutal and it was deadly.

I really don't understand how people without a history of a place can begin claiming ownership.

I wonder if there's a law that tenant of a certain number of years can lay claim to his landlord's property.

Ijaw are the Fulani of south south! Anyhow behaviors

So Ijaws have now started claiming to have lands in Warri south too??

Joke taken too far.

Yet we'll complain about racism when abroad.

This is worse! Imagine the spokesman asking them to "go and develop their land"

All this years sense never still enter una head, Land dispute with no development is not worth it.
North and our gay politician de cash out from our disunity, we still de munu ourselves.

And they are all brothers ooh. Very very similar group of people.just like the ife and modakeke of that time. The bone of contention here is that oil..

Ilike Ijaws, like Fulanis! They're both not indigenous to Nigeria

The Ijaws were pirates from Sierra Leone used by the British as foot soldiers to conquer indigenous people.

Ijaws just still be like the fulani’s of the south…… causing problems everywhere !😡