Peace Without Justice is a Mirage: Itsekiri Youth Leaders Fault Esimaje’s Call as Hypocritical and Politically Self-Serving
The President of Warri Political Interest Forum (WPIF) Comr. Youngreen Abugewa and the Secretary of Itsekiri Youths Elites (IYE), who also serves as the Youth Secretary of Okere Community, Comr. Eboma Tuoyo Michael have strongly criticized what they described as a hypocritical and a manipulative call for peace in Warri by Comrade Esimaje Awani, Esq. In a press briefing at there office in Esisi Road, Okere, the youth leaders asserted that Esimaje’s appeal is not only politically motivated but also glaringly deceptive, particularly for ignoring the root cause of the Warri unrest. According to Eboma, “Any peace that ignores the legal and historical context of the Warri Federal Constituency is nothing more than a bandage on a festering wound.”
Comr. Eboma also emphasized that peace, though desirable, cannot be sustained in the absence of justice, equity, and the rule of law. He faulted Esimaje’s failure to call on the government to implement long-standing judicial pronouncements that affirm the rights of the Itsekiri people to their ancestral lands I.e Warri. Notably, landmark judgments such as the 1951 Privy Council ruling, which upheld the Olu of Warri’s overlordship over Warri lands, and the 1975 Supreme Court judgment in Olu of Warri v. Chief Sam Warri Essi, which reiterated the Olu’s position as trustee of all lands in Warri, are consistently ignored in public discourse. “A lawyer of Esimaje’s standing should know that peace without enforcing legal pronouncements is a travesty of justice,” Eboma noted pointedly.
Comr.Youngreen further argued that the state’s refusal to enforce these judicial decisions has emboldened agitators and created an atmosphere where illegality thrives under the guise of peace advocacy. The youth leaders stated unequivocally that no Itsekiri son or daughter is against peace, but that peace must be rooted in truth, historical accuracy, and lawful governance. “You cannot call for peace while turning a blind eye to court decisions that recognize the Olu of Warri’s traditional and legal rights over Warri lands. That’s not peace; it’s political manipulation,” Comr. Youngreen declared, urging Esimaje to stop playing to the gallery and engaging in political theatrics. In his words” We all need peace but peace without Justice leads to oppression and later anarchy.”
In conclusion, Comr. Eboma called on the Delta State Government, political stakeholders, and federal authorities to rise above tribal sentiments and implement all relevant judicial pronouncements without fear or favor. “If genuine peace is to reign in Warri, the heartland of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality, then there must be justice. Anything short of that is an insult to our collective intelligence and history,” he warned. Comr. Youngreen urged the people of Warri to remain vigilant and not allow politically motivated actors to peddle false peace while disregarding the legal foundations upon which true harmony must stand.
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