…Says FG must protect Itsekiri nation
By Sunday Ani
Rights activist, Rita Lori-Ogbebor, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to take an urgent action to avert an imminent crisis in Warri, Delta State over what she described as deliberate effort by the IJaw and Uurhobo to take over the Itsekiri land by force.
She noted that her people had petitioned President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Department of State Services, the Inspector General of Police and all the security agencies over the failure of Urhobo people to pay accumulated tenancy levy to the Odion Ogisi family, the owners of Warri.
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Addressing journalist at the weekend, she said the Urhobo have refused to pay the one-pound annual tenancy fee they were ordered to pay and they have also far exceeded the two plots originally allocated to them by the Odion Ogisi family.
According to Lori-Ogbebor, the Itsekiri nation would not fight the Urbobo over the land but would want them to respect the two supreme court’s judgements of 1927 and 1951, which demanded that they pay one pound annually to the owners of the land and that they should not go beyond the two plots of lands given to them without express permission from the Odion Ogisi family.
Following the refusal of the Urhobo to obey the Supreme Court judgements, the Itsekiri has given a one-month ultimatum to the Urhobo to obey the judgment, but again the ultimatum had elapsed without compliance, hence the call on the Federal Government to act urgently to avoid unnecessary conflict.
She said: “The Urhobo have refused to pay the one-pound annual tenancy fee they were ordered to pay. They have also far exceeded the two plots originally allocated to them. Many people have been wondering what we would do now that the ultimatum has lapsed. Let us be clear: we have done what is necessary.
“We have succeeded in bringing attention to an issue many people were unaware of. We have succeeded in affirming that they are tenants. Many of their children have lived under the illusion that their fathers own Warri. We have now put the record straight. Today, those children know the truth—that their fathers have misrepresented history.
“Some expected us to resort to violence. That has never been our method. They came with their families, anticipating a fight. But that is not how we engage with matters of such importance.
“The Itsekiri are primarily fishermen and traders. Most of our property lies on the waterways. Yet, we are under siege: the Urhobo are fighting us on land, and the Ijaw are fighting us on water. So we ask, sincerely: where do we go from here?
“Today, we live that fear. More than half of our people live along the rivers, but those waters are now dominated by the Ijaw. And with the recent discovery of oil on our land, Itsekiri territory has become the target of intense interest.
“The Urhobo have migrated massively into our communities and now even create “kingdoms” with self-proclaimed kings on a land that does not belong to them. Their expansion is not organic like ours. It is driven by migration, ambition, and a political strategy to seize land.
“Federal policy has worsened our plight. In the name of fighting oil theft, the government has empowered the Ijaw with wealth, gunboats, and private security, turning them into a militarized force. And the Itsekiri are left to defend ourselves, abandoned.
“We must draw attention to a specific legal issue: the Supreme Court judgment that granted possessory rights—not ownership—over 283 hectares in the Okumagba Layout. Possessory rights do not equal ownership and do not confer radical title. The Urhobo have never successfully claimed ownership in any court because they know that land belongs to the Odion/Ogisi family.
“Historically, families like Eyiekpimi and Olodi were given two plots of land and required to pay a token rent of one pound per year. They were clearly instructed not to exceed those plots. This position has been reaffirmed by the courts. For any other land use—whether for farming or building—they must seek permission from the Odion Ogisi family.
“While their forefathers respected this agreement, the current generation refuses to comply. They challenged the court rulings, lost, appealed, and lost again. Yet they continue to flout the law.
“So, we are asking for something simple: they must pay the agreed one-pound tenancy levy; they must restrict themselves to the two plots they were given; and for any expansion or land use, they must go through the rightful landowners, the Odion Ogisi family.
“We are not calling for war. We are calling for justice. We are not demanding violence. We are demanding protection. We are not inciting tension. We are appealing for fairness. The Itsekiri people deserve peace, respect, and territorial integrity.
“We have done our part. Now, we call on the Nigerian government, President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Department of State Service (DSS), police, military and others to protect our people.”
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