The Itsekiri Historical Front has recently contested assertions that Warri belongs to the Urhobo community, dismissing such claims as provocative and potentially inciting conflict and disorder.
According to the group’s statement, the ownership of Warri had already been settled in a court of law, with the Supreme Court ruling that individuals who are not of Itsekiri descent in Warri are essentially tenants of the Itsekiri people.
The group’s leaders, including Chairman Lily-white O. Esigbone, Secretary Silva Maku, Historian Oritsegbubemi Edema, and Public Relations Officer Oritseweyiologbara Kwame, emphasized their determination to combat any attempts to distort historical facts.
Furthermore, they refuted the notion that the Warri refinery is situated on Urhobo land, pinpointing specific communities such as Ubeji, Ifie, Aja-Etan, and Ijala, in collaboration with the Itsekiriland trust, as the rightful landowners who leased the refinery lands to the Federal Government.
In response to claims of the Urhobo community being the primary oil and gas producers in Delta State, accounting for half of the state’s production and possessing more resources than Ondo, Imo, and Edo states combined, the Itsekiri Historical Front highlighted previous debunking of these exaggerated assertions.
The statement highlighted the baseless nature of the Urhobo leaders’ claims regarding their alleged ownership of Warri, questioning the credibility of their arguments and suggesting a detachment from historical and cultural realities. Quoting Judge T.D. Maxwell’s scathing assessment of Urhobo witnesses a century ago, the group implied that such unsubstantiated claims persist despite contradicting evidence.
The group denounced the audacity of attempting to claim Warri as Urhobo land, reaffirming that Warri rightfully belongs to the Itsekiri people, as legally affirmed by the Supreme Court. With references to specific legal cases, they emphasized the possession and radical ownership rights held by the Itsekiri, alongside the traditional evidence supporting their historical ties to the land.
By providing a clear, fact-based critique of the inaccuracies and misrepresentations perpetuated by certain Urhobo leaders, the Itsekiri Historical Front underscored the significance of upholding historical truths, fostering harmony, and preventing potential conflicts arising from historical misinformation.