By THE people of Okere Community in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, under the auspices of the Indigenous People of Okere (IPO), have called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene and halt what they described as the “illegal incursions” of the Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh and some of his subjects into Okere land.
The Okere people warned that anything short of upholding the rule of law by Oborevwori would amount to “complicity in the erosion of justice and peace.”
Recall that His Royal Majesty, Monbene III, Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, ahead of his 10th Coronation Anniversary which began Monday extended his anniversary banners to Warri South, an action considered as a trespass.
Speaking on behalf of the Indigenous People of Okere during a press conference at the Okere Community Hall in Warri on Tuesday, 23rd September, the Image-maker of Okere Community and member of the Okere Elders’ Council, Hon. (Barr.) David Eyitemi Oki, urged the governor and relevant authorities to act with courage, integrity, and impartiality.
He described the alleged incursions of the Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh, Warri South-West Local Government Area, into Okere territory as “a brazen act that threatens peaceful coexistence, the safety of lives and property, and the territorial integrity of the Itsekiri people.”
Oki stressed that judicial pronouncements dating back nearly a century had consistently affirmed the Itsekiri people as rightful owners of Warri lands.
He stated: “The facts are clear and undisputed. In landmark rulings of 1928, 1956, and 1964—up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria—the Itsekiri people were declared rightful owners of Warri lands, with the Ijaws perpetually barred from laying claim.
When the matter was reintroduced in 2013, the then Chief Judge of Delta State, Hon. Justice Marshall Umukoro, dismissed it outright, describing it as an attempt to re-litigate a settled Supreme Court judgement through the back door.”
According to him, recent actions such as “criminal occupations and cultural incursions” into areas including Miller Waterside, Main Market, and McIver Market, alongside “aggressive media propaganda,” were calculated attempts to extend Ijaw influence illegally into Warri South.
“Not an inch of our ancestral land will be surrendered. We are resolute in defending our heritage and territorial integrity,” he declared.
Another member of the Okere Community Elders’ Council, Comrade Amaechi Ogbitse Ogbonna, also criticised the Delta State Government for failing to encourage peace.
He argued: “Ogbe-Ijoh does not exist in Warri South but in Warri South-West. The government resettled the occupants of Miller Waterside, buying Chief Mabiaku’s Estate and taking over the entire area, including the Central Hospital, Custom House, old Post Office, Marine Police area, and Miller Brothers’ Road, which they are erroneously calling Tunde Smooth Road.
“The entire area known as the Old and New Port of NPA, GRA, Post Office, and Catholic Church belongs to Okere Community.”
The community reaffirmed its determination to resist what it called “unlawful encroachments,” insisting that it would defend its heritage against any attempt to distort history or alter judicially established ownership.
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