Come to Our Rescue: Itsekiri Communities of Okere, Ugbori, Ekurede and Pessu Cry Out, Accuse Speaker and Police of Oppression in Warri

The Itsekiri communities of Okere, Ugbori, Ekurede and Pessu in Warri South Local Government Area have raised alarm over what they described as a systematic oppression and provocation being orchestrated against them.

In a strongly worded appeal, the people called on the Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to urgently intervene and stop what they termed “a deliberate attempt to undermine the Itsekiri in their ancestral homeland.”

According to eyewitness accounts, suspected thugs allegedly mobilized from across the Warri River in Ogbe-Ijoh—acting under the influence of the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, and former Deputy Governor Kingsley Burutu Otuaro—stormed the Warri South Local Government Secretariat, destroying government property and instigating violence.

Community leaders lamented that despite multiple court rulings, including judgments delivered in 1967 and 2013 which affirmed that the Ijaws have no territorial claim or stake in Warri South, the group continues to act with impunity. They questioned why government institutions are being used “to oppress the Itsekiri in their own land” while the Governor remains silent.

The Itsekiri further accused the Warri South-West Council Chairman, Hon. Sylvester Oromoni, of encouraging lawlessness and called for his immediate removal from office. They also demanded the sack of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and Area Commander in Warri for allegedly siding with the aggressors instead of enforcing law and order.

Speaking with one voice, the four communities insisted that only strict adherence to the rule of law and obedience to existing court judgments can guarantee peace in Warri. They urged the state and federal governments not to allow the situation to degenerate further.

“Our cry is simple,” the statement read. “Let the law prevail. The court has spoken. Warri South belongs to the Itsekiri people, and no amount of violence or intimidation should be used to change that reality.”