{"id":3975,"date":"2025-06-28T16:15:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T16:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/06\/28\/itsekiri-a-kingdom-built-on-ijaw-land-and-heritage___izonkeme-owei\/"},"modified":"2025-06-28T16:22:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T16:22:44","slug":"itsekiri-a-kingdom-built-on-ijaw-land-and-heritage___izonkeme-owei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/06\/28\/itsekiri-a-kingdom-built-on-ijaw-land-and-heritage___izonkeme-owei\/","title":{"rendered":"ITSEKIRI: A Kingdom Built In Ijaw Land And Heritage___Izonkeme Owei"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By Esther David<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ITSEKIRI: A KINGDOM BUILT IN IJAW LAND AND HERITAGE.<br \/>\u200eUNCOVERING THE TRUE ORIGINS OF A STORIED MONARCHY<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eIn the vibrant and complex mosaic of Nigeria&#8217;s ethnic identities, few histories are as contested and as misunderstood as that of the Itsekiri people. At the heart of the narrative lies a compelling truth: the Itsekiri Kingdom, though often projected as an ancient coastal empire, owes its very existence to the hospitality, intermarriage and cultural generosity of the Ijaw people.<br \/>\u200eThis isn\u2019t just an alternative view, it\u2019s a well documented fact that reshapes how we understand the past and present of the Warri region.<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200ePRINCE GINUWA\u2019S JOURNEY BEGINS ON IJAW LAND<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eThe story begins in 1480 AD when Prince Ginuwa, the eldest son of the Oba of Benin, was exiled and journeyed into Ijaw Territory. His destination: the lands of the Ijaw, a coastal people with established settlements and thriving communities long before his arrival.<br \/>\u200eWhile many Itsekiris proudly trace their lineage to this Benin prince, the full story is more layered. According to the respected Itsekiri historian William A. Moore in History of Itsekiri (1970), the territory that Ginuwa entered was already inhabited by Ijaw, Urhobo (Sobo), and Mahin tribes, each deeply rooted in the land and each playing a role in shaping the culture Ginuwa encountered.<br \/>\u200eOne of the most significant locations in this journey was Ijala, a small Ijaw community on the outskirts of what is now Warri. It was here that Prince Ginuwa finally settled and it remains the traditional burial site of all Itsekiri monarchs to this day.<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eA KINGDOM BUILT ON IJAW GENEROSITY AND BLOODLINES<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eContrary to the myth of a conquest or blank-slate settlement, the evidence shows that Ijaw communities gave Ginuwa land to settle at multiple points in his journey and the lands and territories currently occupied by the Itsekiri people in Warri South, Warri North and Warri South West Local Government Areas of Delta State are historically all Ijaw lands. They even gave him wives, one of whom, Ebinimi-ere (Emaye) of Isaba Kingdom, became the matriarch of the current ruling houses of the Itsekiri monarchy.<br \/>\u200eIn The Royal Magazine (1987), published during the coronation of Ogiame Atuwatse II, the Itsekiri themselves recount how Ginuwa and his party lived for years in the Ijaw village of Amatu in present-day Bayelsa State, where they intermarried with the locals.<br \/>\u200eLater, in Oruselumo, he married an Ijaw woman named Derumo, whose tragic death in a dispute in Gulani (now Ogulagha) further underscores just how deep and personal the Itsekiri-Ijaw connection runs.<br \/>\u200eLet\u2019s be clear: If your founding king marries an Ijaw woman and your royal bloodline comes through her, then you are not just allies\u2014you are kin.<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eWARRI: A CITY OF IJAW ORIGINS<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eThe claim that Warri has always been an Itsekiri domain is not only historically inaccurate, it\u2019s contradicted by British colonial records. A 1928 colonial report of Warri Township Assessment Report, offers a detailed account of how Warri was formed. Here\u2019s what it says:<br \/>\u200e\u201cThe original settlement\u2026 was known as Ogbe-Ijaw, which literally means \u2018the Ijaw fish market\u2019. It was an Ijaw fishing settlement\u2026 The Itsekiris came later, acting as middlemen between inland traders and Europeans.\u201d<br \/>\u200eThis report, found in Nigeria\u2019s National Archives, is unambiguous. Warri township as we know it was built on Ogbe-Ijoh land and despite several attempts of the Itsekiri to erase the facts and presence of the Ijaw people of Ogbe-Ijoh, they remain dominant in their God given land and territory in the Warri South Local Government Area.<br \/>\u200eIt also describes how other communities, such as Agbassa (Urhobo) and Okere (Itsekiri) emerged later and interacted with the Ogbe-Ijoh people. The claim that Warri was historically an Itsekiri capital is simply a fabricated lie and not supported by the most credible documents of the time.<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eTHE QUESTION OF LAND OWNERSHIP: HISTORY VS. HEGEMONY<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eDespite clear historical ties to their Ijaw roots, the Itsekiri nation continues to assert sweeping claims over all territories within the Warri Federal Constituency. This position stands in sharp contrast to the very foundation of their history and monarchy, which traces its lineage directly to the Isaba Kingdom, an Ijaw Kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area.<br \/>\u200eA recent Supreme Court ruling in a land dispute between Isaba Kingdom and Aladja Community in Udu Local Government Area underscores this contradiction. In that case, the Itsekiri monarch himself joined the suit as a claimant, not for Itsekiri Kingdom, but in defense of Isaba Kingdom\u2019s rightful ownership. This act, supporting his maternal homeland, reaffirms the historical fact that the Itsekiri royal bloodline descends through Ijaw heritage and the lands occupied by the Itsekiri Nation were given to them by the Ijaws.<br \/>\u200eThis raises a fundamental question: how can one lay claim to dominate or dispossess the very land from which their own identity originates? It\u2019s both a historical and moral contradiction.<br \/>\u200eTo put it simply: a child cannot lay ownership over their mother\u2019s home, especially not when that home gave them life, heritage and standing.<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eRECLAIMING A SHARED HISTORY, NOT ERASING ONE.<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eThis is a call for historical honesty and for mutual respect among the peoples of the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.<br \/>\u200eThe story of the Itsekiri is incomplete without the Ijaw. The early chapters written in blood, kinship and hospitality speak to a time before politics and land disputes clouded the waters. And those roots, if acknowledged and honored, can still serve as a foundation for peace, unity and progress.<br \/>\u200eWarri belongs to all its peoples and the Ijaws are the first aborigines of Warri. Its future, like its past, depends on remembering that no kingdom stands alone.<br \/>\u200e<br \/>\u200eWritten by: IZONKEME OWEI<br \/>\u200eCategory: History &amp; Culture | Niger Delta<br \/>\u200eTags: #Itsekiri #Ijaw #Warri #NigerDeltaHistory #NigeriaHeritage #EthnicRelations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u200e By Esther David ITSEKIRI: A KINGDOM BUILT IN IJAW LAND AND HERITAGE.\u200eUNCOVERING THE TRUE&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13],"tags":[1038],"class_list":["post-3975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-itsekiri-a-kingdom-built-in-ijaw-land-and-heritage___izonkeme-owei"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0346-1.jpg?fit=225%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4116,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/06\/28\/ijaw-legal-and-historical-defense-network-sends-open-letter-to-nigerian-public-international-communities-over-itsekiris-fraudulent-ownership-claims-of-ijaw-lands-in-warri\/","url_meta":{"origin":3975,"position":0},"title":"Ijaw Legal And Historical Defense Network Sends Open Letter To Nigerian Public, International Communities Over Itsekiris Fraudulent Ownership Claims Of Ijaw Lands In Warri","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"June 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin OPEN LETTER TO THE NIGERIAN PUBLIC AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITYRE: EXPOSED \u2013THE ITSEKIRI FICTION AND FRAUDULENT CLAIMS OVER IJAW ANCESTRAL LANDS IN WARRI \u201cThis is a clear document where Chief Dore Numa, a foremost Itsekiri colonial agent, confessed that the lands of Warri belong to the Ogbe-Ijoh\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0344-3-1-4.jpg?fit=809%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0344-3-1-4.jpg?fit=809%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0344-3-1-4.jpg?fit=809%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0344-3-1-4.jpg?fit=809%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4397,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/13\/how-colonial-favoritism-created-the-illusion-of-itsekiri-sovereignty-over-ijaw-lands____ijaw-stakeholders-of-warri-federal-constituency\/","url_meta":{"origin":3975,"position":1},"title":"How Colonial Favoritism Created The Illusion Of Itsekiri Sovereignty Over Ijaw Lands____Ijaw Stakeholders Of Warri Federal Constituency","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"July 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David OPEN LETTER TO THE NIGERIAN STATE AND THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY THE INVENTED KINGDOM: HOW COLONIAL FAVORITISM CREATED THE ILLUSION OF ITSEKIRI SOVEREIGNTY OVER IJAW LANDS Issued by: Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal ConstituencyDate: [13\/7\/2025] There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal, not just to our ancestors\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0846-1-1.jpg?fit=747%2C944&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0846-1-1.jpg?fit=747%2C944&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0846-1-1.jpg?fit=747%2C944&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0846-1-1.jpg?fit=747%2C944&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4786,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/09\/06\/group-calls-for-correction-of-itsekiri-monarchs-title-from-olu-of-warri-to-olu-of-itsekiri\/","url_meta":{"origin":3975,"position":2},"title":"Group Calls For Correction Of Itsekiri Monarch\u2019s Title From \u2018Olu Of Warri\u2019 To Olu Of Itsekiri","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"September 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, SENATOR BOLA AHMED TINUBU,GCFR,PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA. A Call for Legislative Motion on the Title of Olu of Warri In the interest of peace, unity, and justice in Delta State, I call on our elected representatives to urgently move a motion\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Opinion&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_1212-1.jpg?fit=402%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4415,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/15\/the-myth-of-itsekiri-ownership-of-warri-a-colonial-invention-unraveled___ijaw-stakeholders-group\/","url_meta":{"origin":3975,"position":3},"title":"The Myth Of Itsekiri Ownership Of Warri: A Colonial Invention Unraveled___Ijaw Stakeholders Group","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"July 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David IJAW STAKEHOLDERS OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY TRUTH-TELLING MEMORANDUM TO NIGERIANS, INEC AND THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY Date: July 15, 2025RE: HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL TRUTH-TELLING IN WARRI THE MYTH OF ITSEKIRI OWNERSHIP OF WARRI: A COLONIAL INVENTION UNRAVELED It is time to break the wickedness of centuries. Warri, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0325-3-1.jpg?fit=569%2C762&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0325-3-1.jpg?fit=569%2C762&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0325-3-1.jpg?fit=569%2C762&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4927,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/10\/23\/a-memorandum-by-ijaw-stakeholders-exposing-the-fallacy-of-itsekiri-ownership-claims-and-inecs-refusal-to-publish-the-warri-federal-constituency-final-delineation-result\/","url_meta":{"origin":3975,"position":4},"title":"A MEMORANDUM BY IJAW STAKEHOLDERS: Exposing The Fallacy Of Itsekiri Ownership Claims And INEC\u2019s Refusal To Publish The Warri Federal Constituency Final Delineation Result","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"October 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Ebiowei Gabriel MEMORANDUM From: Concerned Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal ConstituencyDate: [23\/9\/2025] Subject: Exposing the Fallacy of Itsekiri Ownership Claims and INEC\u2019s Refusal to Publish the Final Ward Delineation Result INTRODUCTION The persistent propaganda by certain Itsekiri elites and their intellectual collaborators that they alone are the \u201cindigenes of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_1017-3-1.jpg?fit=1007%2C856&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_1017-3-1.jpg?fit=1007%2C856&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_1017-3-1.jpg?fit=1007%2C856&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_1017-3-1.jpg?fit=1007%2C856&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4366,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/10\/a-kingdom-built-on-fake-history-fake-crown-and-lies-cannot-stand-says-rights-group-as-they-describes-olu-of-warri-tittle-as-a-colonial-invention\/","url_meta":{"origin":3975,"position":5},"title":"\u201cA Kingdom Built On Fake History, Fake Crown And Lies Cannot Stand\u201d Says Rights Group, As They Describes Olu Of Warri Tittle As A Colonial Invention","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"July 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David PRESS RELEASE From: Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency THE MASK MUST FALL \u2014 FAKE CROWN, FAKE KINGDOM, FAKE HISTORY! We, the Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency, come before Nigeria and the world with fire in our bones and truth in our mouths. The long silence\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0785-1.jpg?fit=683%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0785-1.jpg?fit=683%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0785-1.jpg?fit=683%2C449&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfDfBE-127","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3975"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3981,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3975\/revisions\/3981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}