Foremost Ijaw Group Reveals How Itsekiris Moved From Colonial Clerks To Crowned Tenants, Describes Their Self Acclaimed Sovereignty Over Warri As A Myth -

By Esther David

PRESS RELEASE

Title: From Colonial Clerks to Crowned Tenants: The Myth of Itsekiri Sovereignty over Warri

There comes a time when truth can no longer wait behind whispers, when injustice must be called out not in coded language but in clear thunder. Today is one of those times.

The Itsekiris, who have long used state power and colonial privilege to assert dominance in Warri, have taken yet another desperate step. In the early hours of this morning, a delegation of their elites stormed the INEC headquarters in a frantic attempt to overturn the ward delineation report for Warri Federal Constituency. They claimed the process was manipulated and that the outcome threatens peace and security.

But what they truly fear is not violence, it is justice. Not unrest but revelation.

That delineation report is not a threat to peace. It is a threat to the lies they’ve lived on. Because for once, a federal institution dared to reflect demographic and historical reality, not ethnic mythology. Every tribe, Ijaw, Urhobo, Itsekiri,, took part in the process. Public hearings were conducted. Maps were reviewed. Voices were heard. There was no bias, no fraud, only truth laid bare for all to see.

The Itsekiris object now because the results did not preserve the colonial illusion that they alone own Warri. They object because the facts no longer favour their fantasy.

For over a century, they have built power on misrepresentation from the era of Dore Numa, the colonial clerk who admitted that vast portions of Warri belonged to the Ijaws, yet whose name is now used to justify land theft. From the 1952 political invention of the Olu of Warri’s all-encompassing title, imposed by the colonial government without the consent of the indigenous peoples. From forged leases signed under duress or deception. From government silence and historical manipulation.

Their kingship, once local and cultural was falsely projected across the entirety of Warri to serve a British agenda. That distortion has become their rallying point, even though the palace of their so-called monarch sits on land owned by the Okere-Urhobo, with rent still being paid to this day. This is not sovereignty. This is a throne built on tenancy.

The Ijaws and Urhobos are not migrants. We are not trespassers. We are the ancestral custodians of the lands and waters that birthed Warri. We welcomed the Itsekiris in peace. What we received in return was betrayal masked as royalty.

Now, as justice begins to find its feet, they are shouting foul. But this time, we will not allow their voices to drown out the truth. This time, the Nigerian people, the institutions of state and the conscience of the world must see through the fog.

We call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately publish the final ward delineation results without fear or favour. These results are not only accurate, they are overdue. The Commission must not surrender to blackmail. It must not be reduced to an instrument of ethnic protectionism. It must do its duty as the guardian of democracy.

We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Assembly and all relevant institutions to rise in defence of justice. No community, no ethnic group, no people should be allowed to hold another captive through historical fraud.

This is not just a local dispute. This is a national reckoning. Whether we remain a country governed by law and truth or one crippled by manipulation and fear, is what hangs in the balance.

The Itsekiris must accept the reality of a shared homeland. Warri is not theirs alone. Its future cannot be dictated by outdated myths or colonial leftovers. It is time to tell the truth. Time to correct the map. Time to end the deception.

Let the truth be published. Let justice be done. Let Nigeria rise above old lies and build a new future rooted in fairness, equity and dignity for all.

Signed:
Miebi Thomp
President, Coalition of Ijaw Ancestral Communities and Landowners

Cc:

INEC Headquarters

The Presidency

National Assembly

Office of the NSA

National Judicial Council

Nigerian Bar Association

National and International Media

Human Rights Institutions