The Itsekiri Progress Club (IPC) has faulted the recent call by the Urhobo Renaissance Society (URS) for Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council to broker peace among traditional rulers in Warri, insisting that true peace can only be achieved through equity, justice and respect for established boundaries.
In a strongly worded statement signed by Dr. Tosan Popo, Chairman, and Mr. Godwin Oris Okotie, Secretary, on Thursday, the IPC described the URS peace appeal as “well-intentioned but incomplete,” warning that any peace effort that ignores historical realities and court-backed territorial delineations would amount to “brokering peace over a dinner table of injustice.”
“While the appeal is right and proper on the surface, it begs the bigger question of defining peace,” the statement read. “Peace without justice means ignoring or glossing over important issues, which can lead to future conflicts.”
The group maintained that the ethnic map of Delta State, as recognized by the state government and the National Boundary Commission, clearly defines the territories of the various ethnic groups — including three local government areas for the Itsekiri (Warri South, Warri North and Warri South-West), eight for the Urhobo, and three for the Ijaw.
“The elusive peace within the larger Warri territory can only be attained when all tribes accept the truth and return to the original boundary template. Attempts to annex Itsekiri lands remain the major threat to peace in Warri today,” IPC stated.
Citing several judicial pronouncements affirming Itsekiri ownership, the group accused “belligerent elements” of disregarding court orders and engaging in “brazen acts of impunity,” including unlawful territorial expansion and renaming of Itsekiri communities.
The IPC specifically referenced what it described as an “unlawful attempt” by the Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh to extend his territory into Warri South Local Government Area despite a subsisting court ruling restraining such action. It also faulted the recognition of the Okere-Urhobo Kingdom, saying it was created “from an aboriginal Itsekiri community within Warri metropolis.”
“Itsekiris have coexisted peacefully with their Urhobo and Ijaw neighbours for centuries,” the group said, stressing that, “However, some of our neighbours who benefited from our benevolence now pursue spurious and outlandish claims to our territories. You cannot claim peace while engaging in territorial aggression.”
On the controversy surrounding the title of the Olu of Warri, the group criticised what it described as “a mischievous attempt to diminish the throne,” stressing that the Warri Kingdom had always been synonymous with the Itsekiri people.
“There is no Ovie of Urhobo, Pere of Ijaw, Obi of Ndokwa or Asagba of Oshimili — yet some see nothing wrong in calling our revered monarch ‘Olu of Itsekiri’. The name Warri has never been associated with any other tribe in Nigeria, pre- or post-independence,” the group declared.
The Itsekiri Progress Club said the URS, led by a respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria, should first address the underlying issues of territorial justice before calling for peace.
“How do you define peace where glaring injustice sticks out its mangled fingers to continually unsettle an otherwise well-defined territory?” IPC queried.
Reiterating its commitment to dialogue and peaceful coexistence, the group maintained that peace in Warri and its environs would only be sustainable if all ethnic groups respected the state’s established boundaries.
“Warri is not a no man’s land, just as Uvwie, Ughelli, Ozoro, Burutu, and Oghara are not. The fastest way to build and sustain peace is for everyone to stay within their realm of influence in line with the Delta State ethnic map,” the statement read.
The group, however, vowed that the Itsekiri people would not cede “an inch” of their land under any guise of peace negotiation.
“Itsekiris will not cede an inch of our land ever again to any tribe in the name of peace. Let us build a Warri where justice reigns, where no tribe is oppressed, and where all can live in harmony,” the statement added.
