Itsekiri youths have warned against any move to hand over their ancestral land to Ijaw groups in Warri South Local Government Area. The Itsekiri National Youth Council made this declaration on Wednesday.
Appearance Afejuku, the council's president, signed the statement. He insisted the territory belongs exclusively to Itsekiri people.
According to him, the Supreme Court has already resolved ownership disputes in Warri South. No Ijaw communities exist within the local government, he noted.
Afejuku accused the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, of attempting land allocation without proper authority. The youth leader rejected any such plans outright.
He said Itsekiri youths are prepared to defend their homeland. "We are ready to defend our collective heritage," he told reporters.
The council distanced itself from ongoing negotiations between government and other groups. "Whatever elders and politicians negotiate doesn't bind us," the statement read.
Afejuku warned that youths represent the nation's future. They won't sit idle while territorial claims threaten their people's interests.
He urged authorities to base all ward delineation decisions on historical facts. Court judgments should also guide these boundary arrangements, he stressed.
Sources close to the council confirm the statement reflects growing youth frustration. Many young Itsekiri fear their land rights face erosion through administrative changes.
Government officials have not yet responded to these allegations. The matter remains tense in the oil-rich region.
