From 1485 To 1716: How Pereira’s Testimony And Dutch Records Destroyed Itsekiris Land Ownership Claims -

By Uche Alvin

MEMORANDUM

From 1485 to 1716: How Pereira’s Testimony and Dutch Records Destroy the Tenant Lie

From: Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency
Dated: [9/8/2025]

To:

Nigerian Government
INEC
National Security Agencies
AU
UN
Global Media

I. INTRODUCTION: FIVE CENTURIES OF UNBROKEN IJAW PRESENCE

This memorandum presents unbroken historical evidence spanning over five centuries, from the earliest European accounts in 1485 to documented naval engagements in 1716, proving the Ijaw nation’s ancestral ownership, political autonomy and military power in the Warri and Benin River regions.

It draws on:

Pacheco Pereira’s Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis (1485–1490)

Dutch West India Company Records (1716)

British Intelligence Reports (1932 & 1938)

Multiple Nigerian Supreme Court Judgments

Together, these demolish Itsekiri propaganda that brands the Ijaw as “tenants.”

II. 1485: PEREIRA’S TESTIMONY OF FIRST CONTACT

The Portuguese navigator Pacheco Pereira, in his Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis, gave one of the earliest European descriptions of the Niger Delta in 1485:

“Pereira, 1485:
“Beyond the River Benin lies the land of the Ijo, inhabited by a great people dwelling along the rivers and creeks, skilled in canoe navigation and fishing, and trading in salt, ivory and palm oil.”

This is crucial because:

Date Precedes Olu Kingship: The Olu of Itsekiri did not exist in 1485,Ginuwa had not even fled Benin yet (estimated c. 1510s).
No Itsekiri Mentioned: The first European mention of Warri-area rivers identifies Ijaws not Itsekiris.
Established Trade & Sovereignty: Pereira describes the Ijaws as already engaged in organized trade, proving they were settled not migratory visitors.

III. 1716: THE DUTCH WEST INDIA COMPANY AND IJAW NAVAL DOMINANCE

The Dutch outpost at Arbo and factory at Ughoton depended on hired canoes for trade. In March 1716:

Eight heavily armed Ijaw war canoes intercepted two Dutch company canoes, carrying 850 pounds of ivory and 750 pounds of gum.

After a three-to-four-hour battle, the Ijaws seized the goods and a mulatto captive.

Dutch Factor De Reyke attempted to force a resolution by chaining four Ijaw chiefs’ sons at Ughoton.

The Director-General in Elmina admitted openly:

“There was little or nothing the Oba could do.”

By September 1716, the Dutch had recovered most goods through direct negotiation with the Ijaws, bypassing Benin authorities entirely.

IV. THE HISTORICAL CONTINUITY — 1485 TO 1716

From Pereira’s testimony in 1485 to the Dutch records in 1716, one truth is constant:

The Ijaws were present, organized and powerful in the Warri and Benin River regions long before colonial boundary-making.

European traders recognized the Ijaws as sovereign actors, capable of both commerce and military resistance.

Neither the Oba of Benin nor the Olu of Itsekiri had authority over Ijaw settlements in these waterways.

V. BRITISH RECORDS & NIGERIAN COURT VERDICTS

British Intelligence Report, 1932 (CO 554/122/6):
“Gbaramatu and its surrounding creek communities are populated by Ijaw clans who have occupied the area before the arrival of Portuguese trade.”

Governor’s Dispatch to London, 1938 (CO 554/124/3):
“It is inappropriate to assign control of Ijaw-inhabited lands to the Jekris (Itsekiris), who hold no customary rights over said territories.”

Shell v. Tiebo VII (1996) 4 NWLR (Pt. 445) 657:
Supreme Court recognizes Ijaw ownership in Escravos region.

E.E. Sillo v. Mid-West Governor (1973):
Itsekiri claim over Ogbe-Ijoh dismissed.

VI. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR TODAY’S DELINEATION CRISIS

The Timinimi v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2023) judgment is a modern echo of Pereira’s 1485 record and the 1716 Dutch account: the Ijaws are the legitimate majority owners of Warri’s waterways.

Every day INEC delays releasing the final ward delineation report, it:

Perpetuates a fraudulent minority domination (6 wards for Itsekiris, 4 for Ijaws, none for Urhobos).

Encourages Itsekiri historical falsification.

Disrespects centuries of documented truth.

VII. OUR DEMANDS

INEC must publish and implement the delineation report immediately.
Nigerian policy must reflect true demographic and ancestral facts.
International observers must monitor Warri to prevent ethnic provocation.
Any claim of Ijaw “tenant” status must be publicly withdrawn.

VIII. CONCLUSION

From Pereira’s 1485 chronicle to the Dutch records of 1716, through British archives and Supreme Court rulings, the evidence is unbroken:

The Ijaws are not strangers here. We are the river’s first-born.
We traded before the Itshekiris or Olu existed.
We fought before colonial maps.
We negotiated as equals with Europe.
We remain the rightful custodians of these lands and waters.

Signed:

Chief, Tiemopere Joshua.
(President)

Chief, Ebikeme T. Godstime
(Secretary)

Ijaw Stakeholders