Ijaw Legal And Historical Defense Network Sends Open Letter To Nigerian Public, International Communities Over Itsekiris Fraudulent Ownership Claims Of Ijaw Lands In Warri -

By Uche Alvin

OPEN LETTER TO THE NIGERIAN PUBLIC AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
RE: EXPOSED –THE ITSEKIRI FICTION AND FRAUDULENT CLAIMS OVER IJAW ANCESTRAL LANDS IN WARRI

“This is a clear document where Chief Dore Numa, a foremost Itsekiri colonial agent, confessed that the lands of Warri belong to the Ogbe-Ijoh people, not to the Itsekiris.

Fellow Nigerians,
Respected Institutions,
And All Justice-Loving Peoples of the World,

We write to bring to your attention a long-standing deception, perpetuated with cunning precision by the Itsekiri political elite, to lay false claims over lands in Warri that rightfully and historically belong to the Ijaw people. For decades, the Itsekiris have built a narrative of dominance, a myth constructed on colonial favouritism, legal distortions and outright lies. Today, we come with proof, not propaganda.

HISTORIC DOCUMENT EXPOSES THE LIE:

A historic and publicly available colonial document reveals that Chief Dore Numa, the most prominent Itsekiri intermediary during the colonial era and the same man Itsekiris often cite to justify their land claims, clearly stated that the land in Warri belongs to the Ogbe-Ijoh people.

Let that sink in.
An Itsekiri leader, your own man, said the land does not belong to Itsekiris.

So what then are these current fraudulent claims based on? How do the Itsekiris continue to claim supremacy over lands that their own ancestors confessed belonged to the Ijaws?

The answer is simple, propaganda, manipulation and sustained governmental and judicial support drawn from colonial remnants.

THE LIES AND THE FACTS

LIE 1: “Itsekiris Own All of Warri.”

TRUTH: The Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Isaba, Diebiri and other ancient kingdoms have always occupied and governed their ancestral lands centuries before colonialism. The Itsekiris were coastal traders with no territorial control over Ijaw settlements.

LIE 2: “Dore Numa Leased Warri Lands as Owner.”

TRUTH: Chief Dore Numa was a colonial agent, not a landowner. He signed leases on behalf of the colonial government as a go-between, often misrepresenting ownership. His own declaration that Ogbe-Ijoh people owned the land nullifies any Itsekiri claim of original ownership.

LIE 3: “Court Judgments Declare Itsekiri Ownership.”

TRUTH: Many of these judgments were based on technicalities, absence of Ijaw legal representation and colonial-era maps. They do not reflect historical reality. In fact, multiple court cases have affirmed Ijaw presence and rights, including:

Okumagba v. Ejoh & Ors (1965) – Affirmed Urhobo ownership of lands that the Itsekiris had claimed.

Ijaw Customary Rights over Gbaramatu and Ogbe-Ijoh have been repeatedly acknowledged in legal and governmental documents.

WHO THEN IS THE REAL LANDOWNER?

When your own colonial hero, Dore Numa, says:

“The land belongs to the Ogbe-Ijoh people,”

then no further argument stands. Every fabricated claim, every distorted map, every royal decree from the Olu of Warri becomes void.

We are not guests in Warri. We are not tenants. We are natives, owners and custodians.

OUR STAND

We, the Ijaw Nation, declare:

That all attempts by the Itsekiri political elite to rewrite history are hereby rejected.

That colonial favoritism and courtroom manipulations shall no longer dictate the destiny of the Ijaw people.

That any ultimatum, eviction or threat issued by Itsekiris over Ijaw-occupied lands is null, void and provocative.

That the Ijaw people shall protect their ancestral territories by every legal, political and moral means necessary.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

You cannot continue to claim what your forebears confessed was never yours.

You cannot build a kingdom on lies and expect peace.

You cannot insult, evict and suppress the Ijaw people on lands that bear the bones and blood of our ancestors.

Warri is not Itsekiri land. Warri is a shared space, with the Ijaws holding ancestral sovereignty over vast territories that predate the Olu’s court, and even predate colonial maps.

Signed:
Frank Owei
Coalition of Ijaw Intellectuals and Landowners, Warri Federal Constituency

Boma Yinlayefa
President
Ijaw Youth Force
Warri Chapter

Bar, Godstime Obomene
Chairman
Ijaw Legal and Historical Defense Network
June 28, 2025