{"id":4264,"date":"2025-07-05T07:35:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T07:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/05\/re-a-blunt-response-to-the-itsekiri-historical-fronts-deceitful-open-letter-on-the-olu-of-warri-2\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T07:35:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T07:35:32","slug":"re-a-blunt-response-to-the-itsekiri-historical-fronts-deceitful-open-letter-on-the-olu-of-warri-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/05\/re-a-blunt-response-to-the-itsekiri-historical-fronts-deceitful-open-letter-on-the-olu-of-warri-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Re: A Blunt Response To The Itsekiri Historical Front\u2019s Deceitful Open Letter On The Olu Of Warri"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u200eBy Uche Alvin <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RE: A Blunt Response to the Itsekiri Historical Front\u2019s Deceitful Open Letter on the Olu of Warri
\u200e
\u200eAn Open Letter to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, the National Security Adviser, INEC, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the International Community
\u200e
\u200eBy the Undisguised, Unshaken and Unapologetic Indigenous Peoples of Warri
\u200e
\u200eYour Excellency,
\u200e
\u200eWe write with utmost clarity, unapologetic resolve and historic authority in response to the brazen and dishonest open letter dated 2rd July 2025, authored by the so-called Itsekiri Historical Front (IHF), in reaction to the widely-circulated publication titled \u201cThe Misleading Title \u2018Olu of Warri\u2019 and Its Impact\u201d by the Concerned Citizens of Warri and Environs.
\u200e
\u200eLet the truth ring loud and clear, the Olu of Warri does not speak for Warri, and never has. He speaks for the Itsekiri people only, a minority ethnic group in a multi-ethnic region built by the labor, blood and ancestral legacy of the Ijaws, the Urhobos, and other founding nations.
\u200e
\u200eWe are not \u201cfaceless.\u201d We are landowners, kings, scholars, chiefs, and descendants of the true aboriginal peoples of Warri. And we do not need your permission or royal validation to assert our place.
\u200e
\u200eTHE FRAUDULENT CLAIMS OF THE ITSEKIRI HISTORICAL FRONT
\u200e
\u200eON MAPS AND CARTOGRAPHIC FRAUD
\u200e
\u200eWe are well aware of the misuse of colonial cartography by the Itsekiri to advance false ownership narratives. Historical maps by Europeans, Portuguese, Dutch and British, often labeled trade centers, not ethnic homelands. A town marked \u201cWarri\u201d or \u201cWare\u201d on a map is no proof of ownership, sovereignty or population. These maps often ignored the complex landholding traditions of Niger Delta peoples.
\u200e
\u200eIndeed, the British Parliamentary Papers on the Oil Rivers Protectorate (1891) repeatedly mentioned Ijaw and Urhobo settlements by name but rarely mentioned the Itsekiris beyond the Olu\u2019s court, showing clearly that Itsekiri political power was symbolic and restricted, not expansive.
\u200e
\u200eQUOTATIONS FROM COLONIAL ADMINISTRATORS AND REPORTS
\u200e
\u200eLet us cite Captain D.H. Gallwey, British Vice-Consul for the Niger Coast Protectorate, who in his 1894 report wrote:
\u200e
\u200e\u201cThe Ijos and Sobos inhabit the lands and creeks adjoining the Forcados and Escravos rivers. They control the waterways and fishing grounds\u2026 their leaders have been in negotiation with the government for recognition of their authority.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eThis is direct colonial testimony affirming that the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples owned and governed their territories independently of any Olu or Itsekiri structure.
\u200e
\u200eSimilarly, the 1926 Court Judgement in W\/62\/1926 (Iginla vs. Eyewuoma) ruled:
\u200e
\u200e\u201cThe Itsekiri claim to overlordship of Agbassa is unfounded. The people of Agbassa (Urhobo) are not tenants of the Olu or of any Itsekiri chief. They hold their land by inheritance.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eIJAW AND URHOBO VILLAGES EXISTED LONG BEFORE THE ITSEKIRI CAME
\u200e
\u200eBefore Ginuwa\u2019s arrival in the late 15th century, Ijaw communities such as Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Isaba, Diebiri, Egbema and others had long existed, engaging in fishing, trade and complex inter-clan diplomacy. Similarly, Urhobo communities like Agbassa and Okere-Urhobo had well-established sociopolitical structures.
\u200e
\u200eThe Itsekiris did not bring civilization to Warri, they came into an already thriving, populated and structured region. Their narrative is built on colonial favoritism and elite collaboration, not on truth or demographic reality.
\u200e
\u200eON THE POPULATION DECEPTION AND ELECTORAL EVIDENCE
\u200e
\u200eThe Itsekiri Historical Front, in its usual exaggerative fashion, claims dominion over all Warri territories. Yet this is false and laughable. The Itsekiris have no population strength to back these claims.
\u200eThe use of INEC\u2019s BVAS machines in the 2023 general elections has further destroyed the population myth. In Warri South, Warri North, and Warri South-West LGAs, Ijaw and Urhobo units recorded 80\u201395% of the total votes. Itsekiri wards, especially those in sparsely populated creek areas, recorded zero or near-zero votes.
\u200e
\u200eEven INEC\u2019s internal delineation report in 2023 noted:
\u200e\u201cSome wards in Warri South, Warri South West and Warri North returned less than 100 accredited voters in 10 units each. Verification shows most of these areas were uninhabited or inaccessible.\u201d
\u200eThis proves that the Itsekiris do not possess the demographic weight to justify their loud claims.
\u200eFurthermore,  Chief Amaju Pinnick himself of Itsekiri descent, stated openly on national television that \u201cthe Itsekiris are not up to one million people.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eWhere are these so-called Itsekiri villages? Beyond a few small settlements, they largely exist on paper, inflated by colonial favoritism, not demographic reality and used for ethnic gerrymandering. Compare this to Ijaw-dominated units in Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Isaba, and Urhobo units in Agbarha and Okere-Urhobo where thousands of voters turned out. The implication is simple, the Ijaws and Urhobos are the true numerical majority.
\u200e
\u200eON THE TITLE: \u201cOLU OF WARRI\u201d A POLITICAL FRAUD
\u200e
\u200eThe original title was \u201cOlu of Itsekiri\u201d, as seen in:
\u200e
\u200eThe Western Region Gazette of 1936
\u200e
\u200e The Palmer Report (1932) on Native Administration
\u200e
\u200eThe Brass Native Ordinance (1929)
\u200e
\u200eAs admitted even by colonial officers, the title \u201cOlu of Warri\u201d was a political creation, weaponized by the Awolowo government to project Itsekiri dominance over non-Itsekiri lands. The title was changed from “Olu of the Itsekiri” to “Olu of Warri” in 1952 without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous Ijaw and Urhobo populations who make up the majority of the Warri region.
\u200e
\u200eLet this be etched in Nigeria\u2019s political conscience: The title “Olu of Warri” is a colonial-political invention, not a traditional reality. It was birthed not from truth but from the scheming minds of colonial collaborators and post-independence regional politicians who weaponized identity to suppress majority populations.
\u200e
\u200eAnd even Chief Obafemi Awolowo, despite facilitating the change, later regretted the political fallout, acknowledging it sparked avoidable ethnic tension.
\u200e
\u200eON COLONIAL DOCUMENTS AND HISTORICAL RECORDS (EXPANDED)
\u200e
\u200eWe vehemently reject the selective manipulation of colonial-era documentation by the so-called Itsekiri Historical Front. These distorters of fact attempt to pass off scraps of colonial correspondence as holy writ while ignoring the avalanche of authoritative records, many of them published by British officials, that affirm Ijaw and Urhobo indigenous ownership of large parts of what is now referred to as Warri.
\u200e
\u200eLet the records speak:
\u200e
\u200eThe Annual Colonial Reports (1890s\u20131906) of the Oil Rivers Protectorate, later Niger Coast Protectorate, extensively document the presence, authority and economic centrality of the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples. They were repeatedly referred to as landowners, canoe men, traders and dominant native groups in the Delta waterways. The Itsekiris, by contrast, were almost exclusively represented by their monarch, with no comparable spread of settlements or influence.
\u200e
\u200eThe Intelligence Report on Ogbe-Ijoh (1930s) issued by British colonial administrators categorically stated that Ogbe-Ijoh lands were not part of the Warri Native Administration and were never under the jurisdiction or traditional control of the Olu of Warri. This fact alone nullifies any Itsekiri claim of overlordship or ancestral ownership over that territory.
\u200e
\u200eThe 1956 Intelligence Report on Gbaramatu Clan unambiguously declared that the Olu of Warri had no authority, traditional, territorial or symbolic over any Ijaw or Urhobo community. These reports are not hearsay; they were official British government findings, compiled by intelligence officers tasked with understanding the traditional systems of governance for effective colonial administration.
\u200e
\u200eCourt Judgments such as:
\u200eSuit W\/44\/1941
\u200eSC\/179\/1953
\u200eW\/62\/1926 (Iginla v Eyewuoma)
\u200e
\u200eThese judgments upheld that Urhobo and Ijaw communities held ownership and title to their lands, and specifically noted that major towns such as Ogbe-Ijoh, Okerenkoko, Egbema, Gbaramatu, Oporoza, Agbassa and Okere-Urhobo were never held under Itsekiri sovereignty. The courts refused to grant any Itsekiri claim of overlordship over these towns because the evidence could not support such blatant lies.
\u200e
\u200eWho Is The Real Stranger In Warri?
\u200e
\u200eIf we must entertain the question of indigeneity with intellectual honesty, then we must confront this truth: It is the Itsekiris who are historically the strangers, not the Ijaw or Urhobo peoples. The Itsekiri identity is a synthetic construct, created through a fusion of Yoruba migrants, Benin influence, Igala elements and Portuguese contact, beginning only in the late 15th century.
\u200e
\u200eEven Obaro Ikime, an eminent scholar, in his book titled \u201cThe Niger Delta and the Western Niger\u201d states that:
\u200e”The Itsekiri are a composite people, forged from migrants from various regions, unified under a monarchical structure by Ginuwa.”
\u200e
\u200eThey are not an autochthonous ethnic group with territorial continuity in the Warri region. Meanwhile, the Ijaw and Urhobo are recorded by archaeologists and colonial surveyors as having occupied the entire region for centuries before 1480.
\u200e
\u200eColonial Recognition of Ijaw and Urhobo Autonomy
\u200e
\u200eThe 1949 British Colonial Annual Report for Warri Province acknowledges that:
\u200e \u201cThe Gbaramatu, Egbema, Ogbe-Ijoh and Isaba clans of the Ijo are independent of the Warri Native Authority and not subject to the Olu.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eThe Intelligence Report on Okere-Urhobo (1934) clearly states:
\u200e\u201cThe Okere-Urhobo people trace no allegiance to the Olu of Warri and have never regarded him as their traditional ruler.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eIn the Western Nigeria Gazette of 1952, the administrative records reaffirm that:
\u200e \u201cThe Olu of Warri\u2019s domain is strictly limited to Itsekiri-speaking areas.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eIt must be emphasized that when the colonial Native Authorities were formed, Ijaw and Urhobo communities rejected inclusion under the Olu\u2019s jurisdiction, leading to the formation of separate Native Courts and administrative units. This alone proves a lack of sovereignty.
\u200e
\u200eThe Olu\u2019s Title: A Colonial & Political Imposition
\u200e
\u200eThe change from \u201cOlu of Itsekiri\u201d to \u201cOlu of Warri\u201d in 1952 was a purely political maneuver, a colonial concession to appease the defunct Action Group\u2019s desire to project ethnic superiority during regional power struggles.
\u200e
\u200eChief Alfred Rewane, a respected Itsekiri nationalist, stated in a 1993 press interview:
\u200e\u201cThe Olu has never ruled over the Ijaws or the Urhobos. We have our land; they have theirs.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eSetting The Record Straight On The Ijaws, The Urhobos And The True History Of Warri
\u200e
\u200eWe now turn to what must be called a deliberate falsification of ethnographic history by the Itsekiri Historical Front, one that desperately attempts to paint the indigenous Ijaw and Urhobo peoples as “pirates” and “refugees,” while elevating the Itsekiri, a migrant and composite group, as landlords and monarchs. This falsehood cannot stand.
\u200e
\u200eThe Ijaw: Indigenous Navigators And Foundational Settlers
\u200e
\u200eIt is both laughable and insulting that the Itsekiri Historical Front would misrepresent John Thornton\u2019s Warfare in Atlantic Africa, 1500\u20131800 to label the Ijaw as \u201cpirates.\u201d Thornton, in context, was referring to maritime resistance common across all Niger Delta ethnic groups,Itsekiri included,during the slave trade. Naval rivalries were regional dynamics, not acts of criminality.
\u200e
\u200eLet the records speak for themselves:
\u200e
\u200eProf. E.J. Alagoa, in A History of the Niger Delta (1972), states unequivocally:
\u200e”The Ijo are the earliest known settlers of the central Niger Delta. Their riverine settlements, cultural systems and clan lineages predate any centralized political structure in the region.”
\u200e
\u200eP.A. Talbot in The Peoples of Southern Nigeria (1926) affirms:
\u200e \u201cThe Ijo occupied much of the creek systems from the Forcados to the Bonny River. Their claim to the Delta is more ancient than the rule of any Benin prince in the region.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eRev. Hope Waddell, in Twenty-Nine Years in the West Indies and Central Africa (1863), describes:
\u200e “Ijo towns of the Delta as long-settled trading outposts governed by hereditary elders and free communities.”
\u200e
\u200eThis is not the language of piracy, it is the voice of sovereignty and truth.
\u200e
\u200eThe Urhobo: Agricultural Founders And Territorial Stakeholders
\u200e
\u200eThe claim that the Urhobo came to Warri as \u201crefugees\u201d or \u201cslaves\u201d is not only historically untrue but dangerously racist. The Urhobo were never vassals of the Itsekiri. Their settlements, Agbarha, Agbassa and Okere-Urhobo have always operated autonomously.
\u200e
\u200eIn The Sobo of the Niger Delta (1938), Rev. John Hubbard, often misquoted by Itsekiri writers, clarifies:
\u200e \u201cThe Sobos were not dependent. Their movement into lower Warri was driven by trading motives and community expansion, not displacement or refuge.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eIndeed, British colonial intelligence reports back this. In the Okere-Urhobo Intelligence Report (1934):
\u200e “The Okere-Urhobo have never paid homage to the Olu of Warri. Their customs, lineage and traditional leadership structures are entirely independent.”
\u200e
\u200eThe Myth of Itsekiri Antiquity And the Benin Lie
\u200e
\u200eThe Itsekiri proudly claim descent from Prince Ginuwa of Benin but that, by their own admission, makes them settlers, not indigenes. You cannot claim indigenous status and simultaneously trumpet foreign royal ancestry.
\u200e
\u200eEven Jacob Egharevba, an official Benin historian, wrote in A Short History of Benin (1936):
\u200e \u201cGinuwa was exiled from Benin due to royal intrigue and sent to rule over peoples already living along the coast.\u201d
\u200eThis \u201crule\u201d was symbolic at best, he came as a refugee, not a conqueror.
\u200e
\u200eThe Ijaws and Urhobos welcomed Ginuwa. They gave him land, wives and resources. That hospitality is now twisted into a false narrative of conquest. We reject it entirely.
\u200e
\u200eOn the Misuse of Maps And Colonial Cartography
\u200e
\u200eLet us make it clear: Maps do not show ownership, they show points of trade and navigation.
\u200e
\u200eWhile some old Dutch maps label coastal towns as \u201cAwerri\u201d or \u201cOuwerre,\u201d this does not equate to Itsekiri sovereignty. In fact:
\u200e
\u200eThe 1846 British Admiralty Chart clearly marks Ogbe-Ijoh, Isaba, and Gbaramatu as separate, established settlements.
\u200e
\u200eTalbot\u2019s 1927 report stated:
\u200e \u201cThe Itsekiri occupy the fringe of the Forcados River. Inland belongs to the Sobos and the Ijo clans who outnumber them.\u201d
\u200eThese facts render the Itsekiri claim to all of \u201cWarri\u201d as historical fiction.
\u200e
\u200eEtymology: \u201cWarri\u201d Is Not \u201cIwere\u201d
\u200e
\u200eThe name \u201cWarri\u201d has nothing to do with \u201cIwere.\u201d That is another colonial misinterpretation.
\u200e
\u200eProf. Ebi Yeibo, in Names and Their Meaning in Niger Delta Languages (1981), confirms:
\u200e \u201cWari or Ware is an Ijaw word denoting home or compound. It is found in several clan dialects, including Mein, Gbaramatu, and Ogulagha.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eThe colonial ear misheard “Wari” and recorded it as “Warri.” The Itsekiris now claim this as their own linguistic invention? Preposterous.
\u200e
\u200eEarly European Recognition \u2013 Misused, Misquoted and Misunderstood
\u200e
\u200eIt is both pathetic and intellectually dishonest for the Itsekiri Historical Front to parade fragmented references from early European explorers, traders and missionaries as if such selective snippets confer imperial authority upon the Olu of Itshekiri over lands and peoples beyond his reach. History is not a buffet where you pick only what suits your agenda.
\u200e
\u200eLet us now dissect these so-called \u201cforeign validations\u201d and place them in historical, ethnographic and political context, with evidence they cannot twist:
\u200e
\u200ePortuguese Recognition (1607) \u2013 A Transaction, Not a Coronation
\u200e
\u200eYes, the Portuguese established diplomatic and religious contact with the Olu of Warri but so they did with Bonny, Calabar, and Benin. None of those kings claimed to be monarchs over one another. These interactions were based on access to trade routes and missionary entry, not on territorial sovereignty. As any serious historian knows, religious diplomacy is not the same as ethnic overlordship.
\u200e
\u200eIf Portuguese interaction equals ownership, then the Pope owns half of Africa. Ridiculous.
\u200e
\u200eJohn Barbot (1680) \u2013 Warri Was a Trading Post, Not a Kingdom
\u200e
\u200eBarbot referred to \u201cOywere\u201d in the Forcados River, not modern-day Warri mainland and certainly not Urhobo or Ijaw territories. Barbot’s full texts describe interactions with Ijaw canoe men and Urhobo farmers, not subservient vassals of any Olu. The very fact that Barbot met Ijaw leaders independently proves that Olu’s domain never included the full territory now labeled Warri.
\u200e
\u200eFather Merolla da Sorrento (1682)
\u200e
\u200eThe Itsekiris selectively quote Merolla when he mentions the Olu, but hide the larger truth: Merolla\u2019s missionary work extended to Ijaw towns like Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Ogulagha and Apoi, and at no point did he mention needing the Olu’s permission to operate there. Missionaries freely accessed Ijaw lands. That is not how sovereignty works.
\u200e
\u200eCaptain Landolphe (1786) & the Compagnie d\u2019Owere et de Benin
\u200eThe French company mentioned Warri and Benin for commercial purposes, not as subjects of one another and definitely not as political overlords of entire provinces. That charter was mercantile not administrative. The Olu was a middleman for European goods, not a land-controlling monarch.
\u200e
\u200eUrbanus Cerri & the Vatican (1651)
\u200eLetters to the Pope? So what? Kongo, Oyo, Calabar, and others also corresponded with the Vatican. This proves nothing beyond Christian vanity diplomacy.
\u200e
\u200eIjaw and Urhobo: The Documented Indigenous Peoples of Warri
\u200e
\u200eWhat the Itsekiri refuse to admit but every serious historian already knows, is that the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples were the original landowners in the area now politically called Warri. This is not speculation, it is colonial fact, anthropological consensus and oral continuity.
\u200e
\u200eLet\u2019s examine just a handful of irrefutable citations:
\u200e
\u200eProf. Onigu Otite \u2013 The History of the Urhobo People of the Niger Delta (2003):
\u200e\u201cAgbassa and Okere-Urhobo were in existence long before any Itsekiri kingdom was established. The Urhobo of Warri are the aboriginal people of the mainland.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eProf. E.J. Alagoa \u2013 A History of the Niger Delta:
\u200e \u201cThe western Ijo communities, Gbaramatu, Egbema, Ogbe-Ijoh, Isaba are among the most ancient of the central Delta. They were never conquered.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eBritish Intelligence Report on Warri Division (1936):
\u200e\u201cWhile the Olu holds traditional jurisdiction over Ode-Itsekiri and some adjoining settlements, most of the inland and creek villages fall under the control of Urhobo and Ijaw elders.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eMemoirs of H.L. Gallwey (British Consul, Oil Rivers Protectorate):
\u200e\u201cThe so-called Warri Kingdom appears to be more a trading alliance than a structured monarchy. Many of the surrounding towns are under independent village heads, mainly Ijos.\u201d
\u200eLet the world hear it: Urhobo and Ijaw lands were never part of the Olu\u2019s political or cultural kingdom. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
\u200e
\u200eThe True Indigenous Peoples of Warri \u2013 Distorted Maps, Rejected Court Claims and a Fraudulent Title
\u200e
\u200eThe Itsekiri Historical Front\u2019s narrative is a crumbling castle built on cartographic cherry-picking, half-baked legal interpretations and ethnocentric arrogance. Let us now set the records straight, brick by brick, with undeniable facts, historical truth and legal clarity. We reject outrightly their manipulation of history and we call on the Federal Government, INEC, and all fair-minded Nigerians to do the same.
\u200e 
\u200eON CARTOGRAPHIC DECEPTION: A Map Is Not a Monarchy
\u200e
\u200eThe claim that \u201c81 maps from 1498\u201d prove Itsekiri rulership over Warri is both delusional and deceitful. Let\u2019s be clear, early maps marked geography, not kingship. The so-called \u201cIwerre\u201d referenced on ancient maps were settlements not political kingdoms and nowhere do these maps describe “Itsekiri” as a people or polity. In fact, the name \u201cItsekiri\u201d does not appear on any of these early maps until the 19th century. Even the 1705 Dutch map by Van Keulen lists “Ijo Towns” near the Forcados and Escravos rivers, alongside \u201cSobo settlements,\u201d but no reference to an Itsekiri empire or kingdom ruling the interior.
\u200e
\u200eThey claim \u201cIwere\u201d is the origin of Warri but linguists and historians such as Prof. E. J. Alagoa and Dr. P. C. Lloyd have long clarified that \u201cWarri\u201d is an Anglicized corruption of \u201cWari\u201d or “ware” a Western Ijaw term for settlement or compound. Thus, the very name they cling to is Ijaw in origin, not Itsekiri.
\u200e 
\u200eON COURT CASES: Selective Citations, Ignored Defeats
\u200e
\u200eThe Itsekiri Historical Front parades legal cases like a badge of conquest but hides the ones that utterly destroy their claim of overlordship:
\u200e
\u200eSC\/309\/1974 (Okumagba Case): The court upheld Urhobo possession, and the Olu of Warri was denied radical title. The Itsekiris lost.
\u200e
\u200eW\/44\/194: The court rejected the Olu’s claim over Urhobo land, affirming that long-standing occupation equals ownership under customary law.
\u200e
\u200eW\/3\/1949 \u2013 Chief Sillo v. Chief Okotie-Eboh: The independence of Agbassa Urhobo people from the Olu’s jurisdiction was upheld in court.
\u200e
\u200eSC.93\/1998 (Jamabo & Others v. Itsekiri): This Itsekiri-backed case was struck out for lack of jurisdiction. It was never a win, despite their propaganda. When they shout about legal victories, they forget to whisper about legal defeats. That is manipulation, not history.
\u200e 
\u200eON ETHNIC JURISDICTION: Stay in Your Lane
\u200e
\u200eLet the Olu of Warri and his followers be reminded:
\u200e He has no traditional jurisdiction over Gbaramatu, Ogbe-Ijoh, Diebiri, Isaba, or Egbema Ijaw territories.
\u200e He has no say in Okere-Urhobo and Agbarha all of which are under Urhobo kings.
\u200e He cannot summon Ijaw or Urhobo kings to his palace.
\u200e He cannot enter most parts of Warri South-West or Warri North without permission from the actual landowners.
\u200e
\u200eTraditional rule in Nigeria is ethnic and territorial. There is no single lordship in a multiethnic city. The Olu is a king over the Itsekiris, not over Warri
\u200e
\u200eThe Colonial Interruption: A Tale of Imposed Privilege, Not Restoration
\u200e
\u200eIt is both deceptive and intellectually bankrupt for the Itsekiri Historical Front (IHF) to parade colonial-era manipulation as a so-called \u201crestoration of ancestral truth.\u201d The resurrection of the title \u201cOlu of Warri\u201d in 1952 was not the product of divine history or ethnic justice, it was a political accommodation designed by British imperialists and their postcolonial Itsekiri allies to appease a loud but numerically insignificant minority.
\u200e
\u200eLet us set the record straight.
\u200e
\u200eThe 1936 Adjustment: Not an Error But a Correction
\u200e
\u200eIn 1936, the British colonial administration revived the Olu title by installing Ginuwa II as the Olu of Itsekiri.
\u200e
\u200eThis was not a \u201cmistake.\u201d It was a response to justice, grounded in the multi-ethnic reality of Warri Province. As Chief Mukoro Mowoe of the Urhobo and Ijaw elders consistently argued, ethnic monarchs cannot wield titles that override other peoples in a plural society.
\u200e
\u200eDr. Azikiwe’s Misquoted Editorial: Not a Legal Decree
\u200e
\u200eThe Itsekiri often invoke Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and his 1940 editorial in West African Pilot (May 14, 1940) as evidence of national support for the Olu\u2019s title. But here\u2019s what Azikiwe actually said:
\u200e “His Highness Ginuwa II is Olu of the Itsekiri-speaking people who live on Itsekiril land. For the matter is discussed in detail, it will be found that a definite title is necessary, in which case, the Olu of Warri seems to be the most historical and correct.”
\u200eBut this was an analogy, not a ruling. Azikiwe was not a Warri indigene, nor did he speak as a constitutional authority. Moreover, Lagos, which he referenced, is historically Yoruba land not contested by multiple ethnic nations like Warri is. That comparison was intellectually lazy and constitutionally invalid.
\u200e
\u200eAwolowo\u2019s 1952 Compromise: Political Appeasement, Not Historical Correction
\u200e
\u200eThe Action Group dominated Western House of Assembly passed the infamous 1952 amendment re-imposing the \u201cOlu of Warri\u201d title as a political deal, not a historical truth.
\u200e
\u200eChief M.E.R. Okorodudu, representing the Itsekiri, negotiated a compromise to rename the region \u201cDelta Province\u201d and permit the Olu\u2019s new title. Chief P.K. Tobiowo, representing the Urhobo, forcefully rejected this deception, invoking earlier protests by Chief Mowoe.
\u200eDespite the pushback, Awolowo rammed the bill through, thus creating a permanent wound in the fabric of Warri\u2019s fragile ethnic coexistence. The result?
\u200e
\u200e1952\u20131955: Warri burned in violent riots.
\u200e
\u200e1979: Ogbe-Ijoh\/Itsekiri crisis reignited over the same title dispute.
\u200e
\u200e1997\u20131999: Following the creation of Warri South-West LGA, Ijaw and Urhobo villages were violently attacked. Dozens killed. Hundreds displaced.
\u200e
\u200eThis title is soaked in the blood of political arrogance.
\u200e
\u200eIjaw Objections Were Loud and Documented
\u200e
\u200eLet the world know: the Ijaws never accepted this colonial fraud.
\u200e
\u200eCommuniqu\u00e9s from Gbaramatu, Ogbe-Ijoh, Diebiri, Isaba (1953\u20131955) rejected the Olu\u2019s title.
\u200e
\u200eThese petitions, preserved in the Nigerian National Archives, Enugu, warned the colonial administration that giving one ethnic monarch dominion over a diverse city would provoke unrest. And unrest it did, Repeatedly.
\u200eThe Urhobos, too, stood firm. Their UPU memoranda, legislative motions and editorials all condemned the 1952 political fraud.
\u200e
\u200eNo Peace Since the Title Was Changed
\u200e
\u200eThe Itsekiri Historical Front pretends the Olu title unites Warri. We ask: where is the peace?
\u200e
\u200e1952: Ijaw and Urhobo homes burnt by Itsekiri mobs over the title.
\u200e
\u200e1979: Re-enthronement of the Olu reignites ethnic conflict.
\u200e
\u200e1997: The LGA creation leads to ethnic cleansing in parts of Warri.
\u200e
\u200e2003\u20132007: Multiple electoral cycles marred by ward delineation violence. How can a title that breeds division claim historical righteousness?
\u200e
\u200eThe Rewane Fiction: A Businessman, Not a Historian
\u200e
\u200eCiting Alfred Rewane, an Itsekiri millionaire-politician, to justify Itsekiri dominion over Warri is laughable. That\u2019s like citing Adolf Hitler\u2019s secretary to confirm Nazi innocence.
\u200e
\u200eRewane\u2019s 1993 letter has no legal weight. He was not a historian. He was not neutral. He was not from Ijaw. His opinions serve only as ethnic propaganda.
\u200e
\u200eLegal Boundaries Are Clear: The Olu Has No Jurisdiction Outside Itsekiri Land
\u200eAs codified in the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council and Chiefs Edict (1979), Section 6:
\u200e \u201cThe jurisdiction of any recognized traditional ruler shall be limited to the ethnic community from which he derives title and authority.\u201d
\u200e
\u200eWe reject:
\u200e. The Itsekiri campaign to overwrite the multi-ethnic truth of Warri with a mono-ethnic monarchy. \u200e \u200e<\/em>. The continued use of colonial titles as political weapons.
\u200e
\u200e. The ethnic gerrymandering of wards by manipulating INEC. \u200e \u200e<\/em>. Any suggestion that the Olu of Itsekiri is a king over Ijaw and Urhobo lands.
\u200e
\u200eWE DEMAND:
\u200e
\u200e1. The immediate correction of the title from Olu of Warri to Olu of Itsekiri, in all government documents, gazettes and records.
\u200e
\u200e2. That INEC immediately publishes the final and fair ward delineation outcome for Warri South, Warri South-West and Warri North LGAs, without caving to threats.
\u200e
\u200e3. That the Federal Government inaugurates a Truth and Peace Commission on the true history of Warri to end this colonial-era distortion.
\u200e
\u200eENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
\u200eWe are not tenants. We are not strangers.
\u200eWe are the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples, the ancestral landowners of Warri.
\u200eWe will not bow to a political title.
\u200eWe will not be erased.
\u200eWe will not be silenced.
\u200e
\u200eWarri is not a fiefdom. Warri is not for sale. Warri is not Iwere. Let history speak. Let justice reign. Let truth be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yours sincerely<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signed;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ebiowei kuro
President<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rukevwe Ovo
Secretary<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerned Citizens of Warri and Environs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u200eBy Uche Alvin RE: A Blunt Response to the Itsekiri Historical Front\u2019s Deceitful Open Letter…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3909,"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":[1101],"class_list":["post-4264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-re-a-blunt-response-to-the-itsekiri-historical-fronts-deceitful-open-letter-on-the-olu-of-warri"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0336-1.jpg?fit=554%2C554&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4263,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/05\/re-a-blunt-response-to-the-itsekiri-historical-fronts-deceitful-open-letter-on-the-olu-of-warri\/","url_meta":{"origin":4264,"position":0},"title":"Re: A Blunt Response To The Itsekiri Historical Front\u2019s Deceitful Open Letter On The Olu Of Warri","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"July 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u200eBy Uche Alvin RE: A Blunt Response to the Itsekiri Historical Front\u2019s Deceitful Open Letter on the Olu of Warri\u200e\u200eAn Open Letter to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, the National Security Adviser, INEC, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the International Community\u200e\u200eBy the Undisguised, Unshaken and Unapologetic Indigenous\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_0336-1.jpg?fit=554%2C554&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0336-1.jpg?fit=554%2C554&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0336-1.jpg?fit=554%2C554&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3609,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/06\/26\/ownership-of-warri-group-sends-open-letter-to-governor-oborevwori-calls-for-correction-of-title-of-itsekiri-monarch-from-olu-of-warri-to-olu-of-itsekiri\/","url_meta":{"origin":4264,"position":1},"title":"OWNERSHIP OF WARRI: Group Sends Open Letter To Governor Oborevwori, Calls For Correction Of Title Of Itsekiri Monarch From \u201cOlu Of Warri To Olu Of Itsekiri\u201c","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"June 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u200e By Uche Alvin OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE\u200eRE: The Urgent Need to Correct the Misleading Title \u201cOlu of Warri\u201d to \u201cOlu of Itsekiri\u201d or \u201cOlu of Iwerre\u201d or \u201cOlu of Ode-Itsekiri\u201d\u200e\u200eYour Excellency,\u200eRt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori\u200eExecutive Governor of Delta State\u200eGovernment House, Asaba\u200eDelta State\u200eSir,\u200e\u200eWe write\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_0271-5-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0271-5-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0271-5-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0271-5-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0271-5-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4246,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/03\/olu-of-warri-title-indigenous-ijaws-and-urhobos-writes-open-letter-to-tinubu-inec-international-communities-demands-for-correction-of-title-of-olu-of-warri-to-olu-of-itsekiri\/","url_meta":{"origin":4264,"position":2},"title":"OLU OF WARRI TITLE: Indigenous Ijaws And Urhobos Writes Open Letter To Tinubu, INEC, International Communities, Demands For Correction Of Title Of Olu Of Warri To Olu Of Itsekiri","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"July 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU GCFR, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, INEC, AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY RE: THE URGENT NEED TO CORRECT THE HISTORICAL MISNOMER CALLED \u201cOLU OF WARRI\u201d AND RESTORE DIGNITY TO THE INDIGENOUS IJAW AND URHOBO PEOPLES OF WARRI Your Excellency,President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR,Members\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4926,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/10\/22\/concerned-movement-for-justice-and-historical-sanity-of-warri-federal-constituency-open-letter-to-nigerian-public\/","url_meta":{"origin":4264,"position":3},"title":"Concerned Movement For Justice And Historical Sanity Of Warri Federal Constituency: Open Letter To Nigerian Public","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"October 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin Open Letter To The Nigerian Public QUESTIONS BEGGING FOR AN ANSWER From: Concerned Movement For justice and historical sanity of Warri Federal Constituency22\/9\/2025 We begin this expose with unrestrained anger, the kind born out of decades of deceit, manipulation and historical robbery. The Itsekiri people, in their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0393-1.jpg?fit=1020%2C558&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0393-1.jpg?fit=1020%2C558&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0393-1.jpg?fit=1020%2C558&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0393-1.jpg?fit=1020%2C558&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4986,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/11\/06\/group-writes-open-letter-to-fg-nsa-calls-for-reversion-of-olu-of-warri-title-to-olu-of-itsekiri\/","url_meta":{"origin":4264,"position":4},"title":"Group Writes Open Letter To FG, NSA\ufffc\ufffc, Calls For Reversion Of Olu Of Warri Title To Olu Of Itsekiri","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"November 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David \u2022\u2022\u2022\u2022The Group Charges President Tinubu To Compel INEC To Implement The Supreme Court Ordered Warri Federal Constituency Ward Delineation Report OPEN LETTER FROM THE CONCERNED ELDERS OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER (NSA), THE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE Subject: On the urgent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opinion"","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\/07\/img_0568-1.jpg?fit=790%2C488&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0568-1.jpg?fit=790%2C488&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0568-1.jpg?fit=790%2C488&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0568-1.jpg?fit=790%2C488&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4411,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/14\/group-makes-rebuttal-to-publication-made-by-itsekiri-historical-front-says-the-great-lies-of-warri-will-be-exposed\/","url_meta":{"origin":4264,"position":5},"title":"Group Makes Rebuttal To Publication Made By Itsekiri Historical Front, Says The Great Lies Of Warri Will Be Exposed","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"July 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin THE GREAT LIES OF WARRI EXPOSED: A REBUTTAL TO THE DECEITFUL ITSEKIRI HISTORICAL FRONT Issued by: Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal ConstituencyDate: July 13, 2025 Let it be made abundantly clear: the Itsekiri Historical Front\u2019s rejoinder dated July 13, 2025, is a glaring act of historical distortion,\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\/07\/img_0886-1.jpg?fit=244%2C206&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfDfBE-16M","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4264","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=4264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}