The First Deputy President-General of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) and prominent chief of Okpe Kingdom, Chief Isaacs Oghenerhoro Itebu, has faulted the clandestine and unlawful installation of an “Olare-Aja (Okpako-Amua)” by some Itsekiri settler groups in Sapele, Delta State, warning that the action is capable of triggering avoidable communal tension.
Itebu, a lawyer and Efeyota of Okpe Kingdom, condemned the development in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday.
He described the purported installation as “illegal, invalid and provocative,” insisting that it runs contrary to Okpe native law and custom.
He stressed that Sapele remains “historically, traditionally and legally” an Okpe homeland, noting that while other ethnic groups have lived peacefully in the area for decades, such residence does not confer traditional or ancestral rights.
“Sapele remains an Okpe territory founded and owned by the Okpe people. The presence of non-indigenous groups does not translate to ownership of Okpe land, titles or institutions,” he said.
According to him, Okpe customary law recognises only one Okpako-Amua, also known as Olare-Aja, in any Okpe community, who administers the area alongside the council of elders on behalf of the Orodje of Okpe.
“We do not have two Okpako-Amua in any Okpe community. A stranger or settler, no matter his age or years of residence, cannot be an Okpako-Amua in Okpe land. It is a traditional stool exclusively reserved for Okpe indigenes,” he stated.
Itebu further argued that no settler group has the authority to create or install traditional rulers within Okpe territory, describing the reported action as a usurpation of Okpe traditional institutions and a violation of customary sovereignty.
“Any attempt by Itsekiri settlers in Sapele to install a traditional authority amounts to a deliberate act capable of breaching the peace,” he warned.
He also dismissed the title of “Olare-Aja” as alien to Okpe tradition, saying it has no standing in Okpe chieftaincy structure and has never been recognised in Sapele community.
“The Okpe Nation will not accept, recognise or tolerate any parallel or illegal traditional structure imposed by any migrant population, regardless of how long they have resided in the community,” Itebu said.
The Okpe leader further alleged that the clandestine installation was targeted at embarrassing Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, and pitching him against his Okpe people and the wider Urhobo Nation.
Calling for urgent intervention, he urged the Delta State Government, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services to immediately investigate and halt the development.
While reaffirming the Okpe people’s commitment to peaceful coexistence, Itebu cautioned that hospitality should not be misconstrued as weakness.
“Peaceful coexistence must not be exploited to distort history or undermine our ancestral authority,” he said, adding that the Okpe Nation remains resolute in protecting its cultural heritage and maintaining peace in Sapele.
