AN OPEN LETTER BY URHOBOS OF WARRI TO SEN. IFEANYI OKOWA: REPLYING TO THE OLU OF WARRI AND ITSEKIRI FALSE CLAIM OF OWNERSHIP OF WARRI

…HIGHLIGHTS AND BACKGROUND

…ASK OKOWA TO CALL THE OLU TO ORDER

…WE OWNED WARRI METROPOLIS

 

OLU OVERLORDSHIP ONLY COVERS ITSEKIRI LANDS AND EVEN THEN THERE IS GROUND FOR SAYING THAT IT DOES NOT RELATE TO THE LANDS OF ALL ITSEKIRI PEOPLE. “Ginuwa 1, Expedition from Benin Ended at Ijala and does not extend to Warri Metropolis” – W/48/68 and Supreme Court 309/74.

 

AGBARHA- WARRI AND OKERE URHOBO WARRI PEOPLE, ARE TWO AUTONOMOUS KINGDOMS OF INDIGENOUS URHOBOS OF WARRI.

 

IMPLEMENT THE WHITE PAPER REPORT OF RTD, JUSTICE HASSAN IDOKO COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON THE WARRI CRISIS AS A PANACEA TO PEACE IN WARRI.

 

I0 WARDS JUDGEMENT MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE AND UNACCEPTABLE.

 

WE ARE GOING TO CONTEST FOR WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY COME 2023.

 

THE LETTER WAS POWERED BY CHIEF SAMSON OFUDO AND EVANGELIST, PETERSON BOYI, ON BEHALF OF THEMSELVES AND THE URHOBOS OF WARRI.

 

 

Your Excellency Sir,

 

A quick perusal of the narratives of the rejoinder credited to one none existing Ortisegbubemi A. Edema to our reply to the Olu of Warri over his statement on the ownership of Warri, published in the Vanguard newspaper of Thursday, 17th February 2022, clearly shows that the author and his sponsors have no idea or have lost touch with the realities and history of where they claim to have (Warri).

 

Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered in replying to their baseless, misleading and false publications. But for the purpose of history and generation after us, we have decided to once again set the record straight accordingly.

 

Firstly, we reinstate again that Warri Metropolis is a collection of Independent Urhobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri kingdoms according to historical facts and the position of Delta State Government as shown in the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council and Chiefs Edict 1998 which has Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom in Warri South Local Government Area.

 

Secondly, Agbarha-Warri Kingdom has been in existence for well over six centuries. Agbarha-Warri Kingdom is comprised of seven sub-clans viz: Otovwodo (Agbassa), Igbudu, Edjeba, Ogunu, Ukpokiti, Okurode and Oteghele.

 

The Agbarha-Warri Kingdom is an autonomous and independent kingdom, recognized by the Government with its own traditional ruler known as the (Orhifi) Ovie of Agbarha-Warri Kingdom. Therefore, cannot and will never be under the overlordship of the Olu of Warri.

 

The case between Ometan vs Dore Numa in Suit No. W/41/57 and W/121/57 was a case between Ometan for himself and on behalf of Otovwodo (Agbassa Community) vs Dore Numa and others. The judgement of the above case does not extend or affect the other sub-clans of Agbarha-Warri Kingdom as mentioned above.

 

Agbarha-Warri sub-clans of Oteghele, Ogunu, Edjeba, Okurode, Ukpokiti, Igbudu including Otovwodo signed their various treaties with the colonial masters between the 17th and 18th Centuries. Therefore, it is erroneous, falsehood, misleading and provocative for the Itsekiri people to say that the Agbarha-Warri Kingdom is a customary tenant to the Olu of Warri.

 

We challenge the Olu and his Itsekiri people to publish the content or paragraph of the judgment of the court that made Agbarha-Warri kingdom customary tenant to the Olu of Warri.

 

 

 

 

 

THE OLU’S FALSE CLAIM OF THE OWNERSHIP OF WARRI.

 

The author and his sponsors also and shamefully said in their publication that Okumagba Family won a possessory right of 281.1 Acres of their farmlands in Idimi Sobo in the Supreme Court.  Whereas, only the land that was leased to Itsekiri Socio-Cultural Cooperation, proprietors of Hussey College by Okere-Urhobo people is over 400 acres. As shown in the instrument of a lease, which was dated 29th September 1950, in which the proprietors of Hussey College i.e. Olu Erejuwa, Chairman, Chief O.N, Rewane and Chief E.N.A Begho paid an annual rent of £280.00 (Two Hundred and Eighty Pounds) to Okere-Urhobo people as tenants then. Therefore, it is misleading and also provocative to say that Okumagba Family won 281.1 acres of land at the Supreme Court.

 

Let us also correct the author and his Itsekiri people that from the length and breadth of the judgement of W/48/68, there was no name like Idimi Sobo.

 

However, we want to repeat the fact that the Olu’s continued claim that Warri belongs to him and the Itsekiri people is a blatant falsehood and that the issue as to the false claims of the ownership of Warri by the Olu was completely laid to rest in Suit No. W/48/68 in the Warri High Court which was between the Olu of  Warri for himself and on behalf of the entire Itsekiri people, the Itsekiri communal land Trustee and the Ogitsi family represented by D. O. Idundun and others as Plaintiffs against Chief Daniel E. Okumagba representing the people of Okere-Urhobo clan as Defendants which was decided in favour of the people of Okere-Urhobo clan and on appeal by the Olu and Itsekiri people, the Supreme Court confirmed the decisions of the Warri High Court in its entirety in favour of Okere-Urhobo people in which the court found amongst others as follows:

 

1. ON THE QUESTION AS TO WHO FOUNDED OKERE LAND

 

The trial Judge found that Okere was founded by three Urhobo brothers when he held: “I accept and believe the evidence of the defendants that three persons named Idama, Sohworuvwe and Ohwotemu first came to Okere and founded various tracts of land as they said” Is the Olu and his Itsekiri leaders still challenging the Supreme Court Judgement, to the effect that our Urhobo ancestors founded Okere Land? How can the Olu who was party to the above case continue to parade his usual falsehood by claiming to be the owner of Warri of which Okere is a substantial part?

 

2. ON THE ISSUE AS TO WHETHER OKERE IS PART OF THE OLU’S KINGDOM

 

The trial judge held: “I am satisfied and I find as a fact in the evidence before me that Okere was never part of the kingdom founded by Ginuwa 1, that the Olu does not have overlordship rights over Okere and the Overlordship rights of the subsequent Olu’s did not extend to Okere”.

 

3. ON THE QUESTION AD TO WHETHER THE OLU OF WARRI HAS OVERLORDSHIP RIGHT OVER THE URHOBOS OF OKERE.

The learned trial Judge held: “A point which Plaintiffs and their Counsel have tried to urge on this Court is that because the land in dispute is in Warri and so in Warri Division, the Olu of Warri, has rights of Overlordship over all lands in Warri Division. The whole argument or view is erroneous. The Olu by title is Olu of Warri, but his rights of Overlordship relate only to lands of Itsekiri people and even then there is ground for saying that it does not relate to the lands of all Itsekiri people.”

 

“Ginuwa 1 expedition from Benin ended at Ijala and does not extend to Warri metropolis.” – W/48/68 and Supreme Court 309/74

 

The celebrated Supreme Court judgement over the ownership of Warri in Suit No. W/48/68 and 309/SC/74 between the Olu of Warri on behalf of Itsekiri people vs Chief Daniel Okumagba on behalf of Okere-Urhobo people is an authority in Land matters in Nigeria. And the most recent land case of ownership of Warri.

 

Very Importantly, we challenge the Itsekiri people to mention any prominent Itsekiri leader (dead or alive) that can trace his or her ancestors to Warri metropolis. The answer is none! Because Itsekiri belongs to the coast and has no business with Warri Metropolis.

 

Going further, the author and his sponsors claim that the Olu remains the only paramount ruler as far as Warri Federal Constituency is concerned. This brings us to a conclusion that the author and his sponsors are not well tutored about the history of Warri being a conglomerate of Urhobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri. But be reminded that, Olu’s paramount rulership and Overlordship start and end with his Itsekiri subject and territory only.

 

Sir, it may interest you to know that the Urhobo people of Warri i.e. Okere-Urhobo and Agbarha-Warri Kingdoms made a joint presentation at the Justice Idoko commission of Inquiry including the Itsekiri people wherein all documents as to the Ownership of Warri were tendered in 1999. Sir, we humbly plead at this point with your Excellency’s Government to issue a white paper on the report of the above commission of Inquiry on the Warri Crises with immediate effect and also implementing it fully, because we need genuine peace in Warri, we know you can do it.

 

12 WARDS IN WARRI SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

 

Firstly, Itsekiri people are learned enough to know that creation of Wards by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a Constitutional matter and the twelve wards created by INEC in Warri South Local Government Area was created in line with the relevant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

The 12 Wards in Warri South Local Government Area is a creation of the Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria having met all requisite of Ward creation and also INEC has been conducting elections in Warri South Local Government Area from Counsellorship to Presidency since 2003 under the 12 Ward structure including the ongoing unit registrations

 

Secondly, the Urhobo people of Warri South Local Government Area who are major stakeholders and beneficiaries of the said creation of the 12 Wards in Warri South Local Government Area, were not sued and we were not a party in the said Suit No. FHC/109/1997/82.

 

Upon knowledge of the said Suit, the Urhobo people of Warri South Local Government Area filed a pending action in the Federal High Court Warri, in Suit No. (FHC/WR/CS/70/2020) against Dr. Joseph Otumara and others, the Independent National Electoral Commission and others seeking the Court to set aside the said fraudulent judgement. And to compel INEC from deviating from the existing 12 Wards structure. However, to our greatest surprise, the author and his Itsekiri sponsors never mentioned the above Suit No. (FHC/WR/CS/70/2020) in their reply.

 

As we clearly stated in our publication of 16th February 2022, the Urhobo and Itsekiri people in Warri South Local Government are two distinct ethnic groups that fall within one local government area, with clear boundary demarcation by roads. It is an accepted fact that the old 10 Wards in Warri south was wrongly delineated hence the re-delineation in 1998. In the spirit of Justice, fairness and equity, for all the ethnic groups of Urhobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri in Warri South Local Government Area.

 

Very importantly, having accepted that the Urhobos are part of Warri South, in whatever term they are comfortable with, how come an MOU was signed with INEC without the knowledge of the stakeholders, i.e.  Urhobo and Ijaw people of Warri South Local Government Area.

 

Finally, we appreciate the author and his sponsors for saying the truth for once, that in Warri Federal Constituency, Urhobos can only be found in Warri South Local Government Area, which goes to confirm that the Urhobos are stakeholders in Warri Federal Constituency and Delta South Senatorial District.

 

Therefore, if a microscopic minority as Itsekiri in Delta State can produce the Governor, nothing will stop the Urhobo people of Warri from representing Warri Federal Constituency. And the time for this reality is now.

 

The Olu of Warri and his Itsekiri people feel so desperate about their destination, forgetting that only a journey would take them there.

In conclusion, we urge your Excellency once again to call Ogiame Atuwatse III, the Olu of Warri and Itsekiri people to order from further making statements that will further divide us in Warri and cause crises.

For the purpose of space, let us stop here. To be continued in our next reply if necessary.

 

A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE!