{"id":4141,"date":"2025-06-29T10:24:52","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T10:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/?p=4141"},"modified":"2025-06-29T10:24:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T10:24:53","slug":"prominent-ijaw-born-legal-practitioner-barr-jeffrey-pere-oromoni-reveals-documents-supporting-claims-of-ogbe-ijoh-as-rightful-owner-of-warri-south-lga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/06\/29\/prominent-ijaw-born-legal-practitioner-barr-jeffrey-pere-oromoni-reveals-documents-supporting-claims-of-ogbe-ijoh-as-rightful-owner-of-warri-south-lga\/","title":{"rendered":"Prominent Ijaw Born Legal Practitioner, Barr. Jeffrey Pere Oromoni Reveals Documents Supporting Claims Of Ogbe-Ijoh As Rightful Owner Of Warri South LGA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Esther David<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200eOGBE-IJOH: ABORIGINAL INDIGENES OF WARRI SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.
\u200eTHE FACTS, THE HISTORY AND THE LIES THAT MUST END.
\u200e
\u200eFor decades, elements within the Itsekiri ethnic group have perpetuated a narrative denying the indigeneity of the Ogbe-Ijoh people in Warri South Local Government Area (LGA). This claim, however, is directly contradicted by overwhelming historical evidence, legal documentation, and both colonial and post-independence government recognitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u200eHISTORICAL TRUTHS VS. FABRICATED NARRATIVES
\u200e
\u200eIt is an incontrovertible fact that all leases executed by Chief Dore Numa were undertaken in his capacity as a government agent on behalf of the Ogbe-Ijoh people not as a traditional landowner, nor on behalf of the Olu or any Itsekiri entity.
\u200e
\u200eTo date, the Itsekiris do not possess the lands in question. Historical records clearly show that the Itsekiri people are relatively recent settlers in Warri South Local Government Area. If indeed the Itsekiri Kingdom owns Ogbe-Ijoh land, where were they when these lands were first settled and named Ogbe-Ijoh, a name that remains in all official records to this day?
\u200e
\u200eThere is no legal, historical, or administrative record that grants any Itsekiri individual or community ownership over Ogbe-Ijoh lands in Warri South LGA.
\u200e
\u200eIt is time for the Itsekiri leadership to abandon these misleading claims and stop indoctrinating their youth with historical falsehoods regarding the ownership of the three Warri Local Government Areas.
\u200e
\u200eHISTORICAL AND LEGAL FOUNDATIONS OF OGBE-IJOH OWNERSHIP
\u200e
\u200eThe Ogbe-Ijoh people’s ownership of areas such as Warri GRA, Miller Waterside (NPA), and Alders Town is well-documented:
\u200e
\u200eChief Dore Numa, in his correspondence with the colonial government and the Ogbe-Ijoh community, clarified that he executed leases not as an owner, but on behalf of the government:
\u200e Lease B2 (July 30, 1906): 360 hectares covering NPA\/Miller areas to Ogbe-Ijoh Market.
\u200e Lease B5 (July 13, 1908): 180 hectares covering Alders Town and its environs.
\u200e
\u200eWarri Assessment Report (1927), Delta State Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law (1999), and Delta State Community Development Law (2004) affirm Ogbe-Ijoh\u2019s indigenous status and territorial rights within the Warri Urban District.
\u200e
\u200eCOLONIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
\u200e
\u200eColonial records further cement Ogbe-Ijoh\u2019s historical roots:
\u200e1. The Southern Nigeria Civil Service Handbook (1910, p. 28) identifies Warri District natives as the “Ijaw of Ogbe-Ijoh”, attributing the founding of Warri (Ware) to Ewein, an Ijaw ancestor.
\u200e2. Warri Urban District Council (1952) recognized Ogbe-Ijoh electoral wards: C1, C2, and GRA Ward F1.
\u200e3. Prethoroe\u2019s 1928 Warri Township Assessment Report confirms the township was established on Ogbe-Ijoh land.
\u200e4. In 1948, colonial visitor Hubbard stated that Warri GRA belonged to the descendants of Ewein of Ogbe-Ijoh.
\u200e5. In 1955, Ogbe-Ijoh, alongside parts of Urhobo and Itsekiri, received four autonomous wards: Alders Town (B3), Ogbe-Ijoh (C1 & C2), and Government Area (F1). These same areas remain delineated today by INEC as:
\u200e
\u200e 1. Bulou-Ama Ward 02
\u200e 2. Ewein Ward 07
\u200e 3. Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban Ward 12
\u200e 4. Parts of GRA Ward 08
\u200e
\u200e
\u200eCONTEMPORARY REALITIES AND FUNCTIONAL OWNERSHIP
\u200e
\u200eToday, Ogbe-Ijoh\u2019s continued presence and authority in Warri South are undeniable:
\u200e
\u200e1. NPA Representation: Employment and contracts are equitably shared between Ogbe-Ijoh and Itsekiri.
\u200e
\u200e2. Royalty Payments: NPA pays royalties equally to the Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom and the Itsekiri monarch.
\u200e
\u200e3. Territorial Control: Ogbe-Ijoh Market, NPA, Alders Town, and surrounding areas remain under Ogbe-Ijoh control and influence.
\u200e
\u200e4. Revenue Rights: Companies and businesses operating in these Ogbe-Ijoh areas pay royalties to the Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom and to the Ogbe-Ijoh leadership.
\u200e
\u200e5. Political Marginalization: Ogbe-Ijoh representation in Warri South Council was disrupted under the Itsekiri-led administration of Governor Uduaghan.
\u200e
\u200e6. Civic & Religious Evidence: Leases for the Catholic Church and Warri Central Mosque are issued under Ogbe-Ijoh authority. Attempts to rename Ogbe-Ijoh Market to \u201cWarri Central Market\u201d were blocked by the Delta State Executive Council under Governor Chief James Ibori.
\u200e
\u200e7. Colonial Testimony: In a 1923 letter, Chief Dore Numa wrote to the Warri Province Resident:
\u200e
\u200e \u201cThe Ogbe-Ijoh natives are the rightful owners of New Warri or Ogbe-Ijoh and Alders Town lands. These areas do not belong to the Jekris or the Sobos.\u201d
\u200e He acknowledged that his landholdings were due to government allocation, not native ownership.
\u200e
\u200e8. INEC Recognition: During the Supreme Court mandated delineation exercise, INEC officials met Ogbe-Ijoh people on ground and documented Ogbe-Ijoh territories without any resistance from the Itsekiri.
\u200e
\u200eA CALL FOR TRUTH, JUSTICE AND PEACE
\u200e
\u200eThe continued denial of Ogbe-Ijoh\u2019s status as an indigenous group by segments of the Itsekiri elite is not only historically false, it is socially and politically destructive. Ogbe-Ijoh is not a settler community in Warri South, it is a foundational pillar of Warri South Local Government Area, validated by history, law and state institutions.
\u200e
\u200eThe era of monopolizing Warri under an illusion of ethnic superiority is over. Warri Federal Constituency belongs to Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo. The future of the Warri City lies in shared ownership, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
\u200e
\u200eLet us be guided by truth, history and justice, not by ethnic ambition.
\u200eWarri Federal Constituency is owned by Ijaws, Itsekiris and Urhobos. Let each live and thrives with dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u200eSigned:
\u200eHon. (Barr.) Jeffrey Pere Oromoni
\u200eImmediate Past Councillor, Warri South West LGA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Esther David \u200eOGBE-IJOH: ABORIGINAL INDIGENES OF WARRI SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.\u200eTHE FACTS, THE HISTORY…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[1044],"class_list":["post-4141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-prominent-ijaw-born-legal-practitioner-barr-jeffrey-pere-oromoni-reveals-documents-supporting-claims-of-ogbe-ijoh-as-rightful-owner-of-warri-south-lga"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/4538fd54-3d1d-4b70-afb7-28cc9e924828-1.jpg?fit=720%2C1280&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5227,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/12\/17\/stop-the-false-and-misleading-claims-on-the-court-of-appeal-judgement-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-land-ownership__barr-jeffrey-oromoni-blasts-itsekiris\/","url_meta":{"origin":4141,"position":0},"title":"\u201cStop The False And Misleading Claims On The Court Of Appeal Judgement, It Has Nothing To Do With Land Ownership\u201d__Barr. Jeffrey Oromoni Blasts Itsekiris","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"December 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Ebiowei Gabriel My attention has been drawn to a deliberately misleading and propagandist \u201cBreaking News dated 17th December, 2025\u201d being circulated by some Itsekiri elements, falsely claiming that the Court of Appeal has reaffirmed Itsekiri ownership and territorial authority over Ogbe-Ijoh land in Warri South Local Government Area.This claim\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","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\/12\/img_6049.jpg?fit=379%2C383&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3784,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/06\/27\/abandon-your-fraudulent-land-claims-and-embrace-reality-warri-ijaws-tells-itsekiris-highlights-several-lease-of-land-documents-of-ogbe-ijoh-and-the-colonial-government\/","url_meta":{"origin":4141,"position":1},"title":"\u201cAbandon Your Fraudulent Land Claims And Embrace Reality\u201d Warri Ijaws Tells Itsekiris, Highlights Several Lease Of Land Documents Of Ogbe-Ijoh And The Colonial Government","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"June 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin The Ijaws of Warri strongly urge the Itsekiri ethnic group to abandon their false, historically baseless and fraudulent claims to ownership of all lands in Warri. The era of using government machinery and political manipulation to dispossess the rightful landowners in Warri is over. For peace and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","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_0305-1.jpg?fit=447%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4819,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/09\/16\/breaking-group-demands-sack-of-police-area-commander-warri-south-lga-chairman-hon-weyinmi-isaac-agbateyiniro-over-removal-of-pere-of-ogbe-ijow-coronation-anniversary-banners\/","url_meta":{"origin":4141,"position":2},"title":"BREAKING: Group Demands Sack Of Police Area Commander, Warri South LGA Chairman, Hon. 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