The leadership of Kantu (also known as Ikantu) Community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State has issued a strong rebuke to what it called “misguided claims” suggesting the community belongs to the Itsekiri ethnic group, firmly reaffirming its ancestral identity as Ijaw.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Kantu Town Hall on Friday, June 6, 2025, community leaders traced their lineage back to the 11th century. They identified their founding ancestor as Oweizibiri, a full-blooded Ijaw man from Oporoza—the traditional headquarters of the Gbaramatu Kingdom.
Leading the charge was Pa. Edwin Atikan Atemubagha, the Ama-Okosuwei (traditional head) of Kantu, who declared:
“No historical distortion will erase the Ijaw identity of our people.”
While acknowledging intermarriages over the centuries—particularly between Oweizibiri’s male descendants and Itsekiri women—the community maintained that cultural and linguistic influences do not equate to an ethnic shift.
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Cross section of leaders of Kantu Community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, addressing a press conference dismissing claim that they are Itsekiri[/caption]
“Language adoption due to environment is not a transformation of heritage,” said Mr. Windfree Atemubaghan, Chairman of Kantu Community.
“Our bloodline, origin, and allegiance remain Ijaw.”
The community leadership strongly condemned individuals attempting to realign Kantu with the Itsekiri nation, calling such efforts provocative and potentially destabilizing to the peace within Gbaramatu Kingdom and the wider Ijaw region.
They warned that any future attempts to rewrite or challenge their ethnic roots would be met with peaceful but resolute resistance.
In a firm closing statement, Kantu reaffirmed its unwavering loyalty to His Royal Majesty, Oboro Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom.
“Kantu was never and will never be part of the Itsekiri ethnic group,” the leaders declared.
“We stand firmly as Ijaw.”
