RE: OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU GCFR TO IGNORE THE FACELESS “CONCERNED CITIZENS OF WARRI AND ENVIRONS” ON THEIR PUBLICATION DATED 28TH JUNE 2025 TITLED, “THE MISLEADING TITLE ‘OLU OF WARRI’ AND ITS IMPACT”
A Comprehensive Rebuttal by the Itsekiri Historical Front
Introduction
Your Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, we, the Itsekiri Historical Front, write this open letter with a profound sense of duty to counter the baseless, historically inaccurate, and culturally offensive publication dated 28th June 2025 by a faceless group calling themselves the “Concerned Citizens of Warri and Environs.” Their document, titled “The Misleading Title ‘Olu of Warri’ and Its Impact,” seeks to undermine the centuries-old title of the Olu of Warri, a symbol of the Itsekiri people’s sovereignty, identity, and heritage. This group, whose anonymity betrays their lack of accountability, has dared to challenge the legitimacy of a title that has been recognized by kings, explorers, missionaries, and legal authorities for over 500 years. Their claims are not only a distortion of history but an audacious attempt to rewrite the narrative of Warri’s ownership and disenfranchise the Itsekiri people, the true indigenous inhabitants of this land.
In this detailed response, we will dismantle their arguments with irrefutable historical evidence, legal precedents, and the testimonies of prominent leaders, both Itsekiri and otherwise, who have affirmed the title “Olu of Warri.” We will expose the origins of the Urhobo and Ijaw presence in Warri, revealing their status as latecomers, servants, refugees, and pirates—whose descendants now seek to usurp Itsekiri land and legacy through falsehoods. This is not merely a defense of a title; it is a defense of truth, justice, and the soul of the Itsekiri nation. We urge Your Excellency to ignore this faceless group’s provocation and reaffirm the legitimacy of the Olu of Warri, while also considering the long-overdue creation of a Warri State to protect the Itsekiri homeland.
Who Are the True Indigenous People of Warri?
Before delving into the legitimacy of the title “Olu of Warri,” it is imperative to address a fundamental question: Who are the indigenous peoples of Warri? The “Concerned Citizens” publication falsely portrays the Urhobo and Ijaw as co-owners of Warri with equal historical claims. This is a fabrication that collapses under the weight of historical scrutiny. Warri, known to the Itsekiri as “Iwere,” is the ancestral homeland of the Itsekiri people alone. The Urhobo and Ijaw, far from being indigenous, arrived in Warri centuries after its establishment by the Itsekiri under Ginuwa I in 1480. Let us examine their origins in Warri with unassailable evidence.
The Urhobo: Servants and Refugees
The Urhobo presence in Warri stems from two distinct migrations: as slaves owned by the Itsekiri and as refugees fleeing conflict in their ancestral lands. European eyewitness accounts from the 19th century provide a clear picture of their subservient role. In Africa No. 11 (1500): Correspondence Affairs of the West Coast of Africa, a European observer wrote:
> “As regards the slaves owned by the Jakris [Itsekiri], I consider their lot, as a rule, to be a very fairly happy one… They are chiefly Sobos [Urhobo], and as a rule are bought; a slave is calculated to be worth about 10l. A well-behaved slave is always well treated. All work is done by the slaves. The Jakriman [Itsekiri] never works, his chief delight being to dress in fine clothes, eat, and sleep. Slaves can be exchanged, and they are allowed to marry… It struck me that the lot of a well-behaved slave with a good master was very little different to that of the free-born Jakriman, except that the latter did no work.”
This account explicitly identifies the Urhobo (“Sobos”) as slaves under Itsekiri masters, not as indigenous cohabitants of Warri. Their role was labor, not ownership.
The second wave of Urhobo arrivals came as refugees. In Sobo of the Niger Delta (1938), Reverend John Hubbard recounts:
> “Twenty-three miles east of Warri in the middle of the Sobo country… [they] crossed the Warri river and by negotiation with the Olu of Warri obtained land from him, built a village of their own which they named after their home town Agbarha. This is now one of the quarters of Warri Township.”
Fleeing violence in their ancestral Agbarha-Otor, the Urhobo sought refuge in Warri. The Olu of Warri graciously granted them land in an area called Ubomale, which the Itsekiri later named “UboweAghangbassato,” meaning “this is where you all have run to.” Today, this area is known as Agbassa. Far from asserting ownership, the Urhobo were dependent on Itsekiri hospitality.
Further evidence comes from cartography and exploration. Dutch maps from 1743 label the Urhobo as “Oufsoubuo,” located in the northern part of the Benin Kingdom, while Warri is marked distinctly as “Awerri” or “D’Awerri,” a corruption of “Iwere.” Sir Richard Francis Burton, in 1863, wrote in Fraser’s Magazine:
> “At Warri, we were one day’s row from Sobo country.”
If Warri’s capital was a day’s journey from Urhobo lands, how can the Urhobo claim indigeneity in Warri? Their presence is a historical afterthought, not a foundational reality.
The Ijaw: Pirates and Intruders
The Ijaw’s historical relationship with Warri is even less flattering. They arrived not as settlers but as pirates who terrorized the region. John Thornton, in Warfare in Atlantic Africa, 1500-1800, documents their aggression:
> “The constant threat of Ijo [Ijaw] pirates to the lands under the Warri forced them to consider fortifications of their own type. Palisades and barricades restricted boat movement and allowed for both the observation of and attack on ships or canoes that entered the area… Certainly the kingdom of Warri in the Delta region was more a naval power than anything else… visitors of the 1780s described Warri as the most formidable power on the coast because of its navy.”
The Ijaw were a menace, not a part of Warri’s fabric. Their incursions forced the Itsekiri to fortify their kingdom, protecting their sovereignty from these waterborne raiders. To now claim indigeneity is an affront to history.
The Itsekiri: Founders of Warri
In contrast, for the founding of Warri: The Itsekiri had settled in the area now known as Warri Federal Constituency for over 300 years before the Warri Kingdom was established in 1480. The tribes that formed the Itsekiri, including Yoruba groups (Ijebu, Mahin/Ilaje, Ife, Ugbo, and Owo), Igala, and later Bini, have inhabited this land for over 1,000 years.
The Itsekiri’s claim to Warri is unassailable. The kingdom was founded in 1480 by Ginuwa I, a Benin prince sent by his father, Oba Olua, to rule the riverine areas. Historian Jacob Egharevba, in his works, notes that Ginuwa was titled “Ogiame,” meaning “King of the Rivers” in Edo, reflecting his dominion over the “Riversland.” The name “Warri” derives from “Iwere,” the Itsekiri name for their homeland, and “Omiwere” (children of Iwere) denotes the people. European records from the 15th century onward, Portuguese, Dutch, and British, consistently recognize Warri as an Itsekiri kingdom under the Olu. The Urhobo and Ijaw, by contrast, have no such historical pedigree in Warri.
Historical Legitimacy of the Title “Olu of Warri”
The “Concerned Citizens” assert that the title “Olu of Warri” is a modern, politically motivated invention, a claim that crumbles under the weight of 500 years of documentation. The title is not a recent construct but a constant since the kingdom’s founding.
Early European Recognition
From the 15th century, European explorers and traders recognized the ruler of Warri as the “Olu of Warri” or its variants. Consider these accounts:
– 1607: The King of Portugal acknowledged the “King of Warri” and his son, Prince Domingos (Eyeomasan), who later reigned as Olu Atuwatse I (1625-1643). This decree predates any supposed modern manipulation by centuries.
– John Barbot (1680): The Dutchman wrote:
“The Capital Town Oywere, which gives its Name to the whole Country lies in River Forcado…”
– Father Jerome Merolla da Sorrento (1682): The missionary recorded:
“Two Capuchin Missionaries together with Father Bonaventura da Firanze having just set foot in the Kingdom of Ouuerri (Warri). They were very courteously received by the King.”
* David Van Nyandael (1702): He noted:
“On one of these [islands] the Portuguese have built a lodge and a church, at a town called Warri, which is independent and also has a free king who is not under the king of Great Benin, but is his neighbour and ally.”
– P.A. Talbot (1651): In The Peoples of Southern Nigeria, Talbot wrote:
“According to Urbanus Cerri, ‘the King of Warri wrote to Pope Innocent X, asking him to send him Missionaries for his own good and that of his subjects.’”
– Captain Landolphe (1786): The Frenchman referenced the “Olu of Warri” and noted that King Louis XVI of France granted a charter to the “Compagnie d’Owhere et de Benin” in 1756, recognizing Warri’s trade significance.
These accounts span centuries and continents, all affirming the title “Olu of Warri” as a historical fact, not a fabrication.
Cartographic Evidence
Eighty-one maps from 1498 to the present day, produced by Portuguese, Dutch, and British cartographers, consistently label the kingdom as Warri or its variants: “Owere,” “Ouwerre,” “Awerri,” “Warree,” and finally “Warri.” Never once is the ruler titled “King of Itsekiri.” The land is “Iwere,” and its king is the Olu of Warri.
Legal Precedents Affirming Itsekiri Ownership
The “Concerned Citizens” conveniently ignore the legal battles that have repeatedly affirmed the Itsekiri’s ownership of Warri. Over 25 lawsuits have been filed by Urhobo and Ijaw groups challenging Itsekiri title to Warri lands. Astonishingly, they have lost 24 of these cases, with the Itsekiri prevailing in matters of both possessory (usage) and radical (ultimate ownership) title.
– SC/309/74 (Okumagba Case): The Okumagba family (Urhobo) won possessory title to Okumagba Avenue. However, the Supreme Court clarified:
“The averments in the Plaintiff amended statement of claim was based on traditional evidence and partly on acts of ownership… The defendants [Okumagba] are not counterclaiming for title to the land.”
This means the radical title remained with the Olu of Warri, while the Okumagba family gained only usage rights.
– Other Cases: Suits such as W/44/1941, SC 93/98, W/41/57, W/121/57, and W/3/1949 awarded both possessory and radical titles to the Olu of Warri over vast swathes of the city. Aside from the small Okumagba layout, the Itsekiri hold unassailable legal ownership of Warri.
The claim that the title “Olu of Warri” violates the Delta State Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law is nonsense. The law mandates that titles reflect ethnic and territorial jurisdiction, Warri is Itsekiri land, and the Olu’s authority is confined to it. No ethnic imposition occurs.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the 1952 Compromise
The publication’s vilification of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, alleging he invented the title “Olu of Warri,” is a grotesque lie. Awolowo restored a historical truth, not created a fiction. The title faced a temporary aberration during the colonial period.
The Colonial Interruption
After an 88-year interregnum (1848-1936) following Olu Akengbuwa II’s death, the monarchy resumed in 1936 with Ginuwa II. The Urhobo Progressive Union, led by Chief Mukoro Mowoe, pressured the colonial administration to change the title to “Olu of Itsekiri,” fearing it implied dominion over the entire Warri Province (which included Urhobo, Ijaw, Isoko, and Ndokwa lands). This change was a colonial concession, not a historical correction.
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, in the West African Pilot (May 14, 1940), denounced this shift:
> “His Highness Ginuwa II is Olu of the Itsekiri-speaking people, who live on Itsekiri land… If the matter is discussed in detail, it will be found that a definite title is necessary, in which case, the Olu of Warri seems to be the most historical and correct. When we speak of the Oba of Lagos we refer to the paramount native ruler of Lagos, although Lagos is peopled mainly by Yoruba-speaking peoples and Lagos is part of Yorubaland. So too, in the case of His Highness Ginuwa II, the Olu of Warri is the paramount native ruler of Warri…”
Awolowo’s Resolution
In 1952, riots in Warri prompted Awolowo, then Premier of the Western Region, to intervene. He convened Itsekiri and Urhobo delegations. Chief M.E.R. Okorodudu presented the Itsekiri case with historical evidence, while Chief P.K. Tobiowo (Urhobo) reiterated Mowoe’s concerns about provincial boundaries. Okorodudu proposed renaming the province “Delta,” confining “Warri” to Itsekiri land. This compromise was accepted by both sides and ratified by the Western House of Assembly. The title reverted to “Olu of Warri,” and the Ijaw raised no objection.
Alfred Ogbeyiwa Rewane, in a 1993 press statement, affirmed:
> “The official title of the Warri Monarch, from the founding of the Warri Kingdom in 1480, has always been Olu of Warri… Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s role was to restore this historical title.”
The Faceless Group’s Motives
Who are these “Concerned Citizens”? Their anonymity betrays their cowardice and ulterior motives. This is not a quest for truth but a calculated attempt to destabilize Warri, undermine Itsekiri sovereignty, and seize control of our land and resources. Their demand to change the title to “Olu of Itsekiri” or “Olu of Iwerre” is futile—”Iwerre” is Warri, and the change would be meaningless. Their call to amend the Delta State Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law is an attack on settled law and history.
A Call to Action
Your Excellency, the Itsekiri people have coexisted peacefully with our neighbors, but we will not tolerate the erasure of our heritage. We urge you to:
1. Dismiss this publication as the baseless provocation it is.
2. Reaffirm the title “Olu of Warri” as historically and legally legitimate.
3. Consider a Warri State: The three Warri local government areas, predominantly Itsekiri, exceed Bayelsa’s landmass (an Ijaw state). Justice demands similar recognition for the Itsekiri homeland.
Conclusion
The “Concerned Citizens of Warri and Environs” have no standing, historical, legal, or moral, to challenge the Olu of Warri. Their publication is a desperate ploy to rewrite history and sow discord. Warri is Itsekiri land, and the Olu of Warri is its rightful sovereign. We trust in Your Excellency’s wisdom to uphold truth and protect our heritage.
Signed:
Itsekiri Historical Front
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