Delist Itsekiri and her Warri territories from proposed Biafra Map, INYC warns

The Itsekiri People have again stressed they are not part of the Biafra and have therefore denounced their inclusion in the proposed map of Biafra by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and called for the delisting of Itsekiri and her territories from the proposed Map.

This position was made known by the Comrade Esimaje Awani led leadership of Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Warri, Delta State, Comrade Esimaje warned “that Itsekiri and its territories should not be included in any IPOB or Biafran plan”.

He stated that Itsekiri’s are indigenous ethnic group in the Niger Delta region. They dominate the three Warri Councils,  Warri South, Warri North and Warri South-West Local Government Area bordering the Atlantic Coast of Nigeria as their homeland with their neighbours being the Bini to the North, the Ijaw to the South, the Urhobo to the East and the Yoruba of Ondo State to the Northwest.

Comrade Awani noted that from about 1490 - 1884, the Itsekiri had an independent political kingdom known as Warri Kingdom that was not subordinate to any of the World Powers in Europe or any African Kingdom, adding that it was in 1894 when the Niger Coast Protectorate was established that it came under the protection of Her Britannic Majesty, vide the Treaty of 1884.

According to him, by another Treaty of 1894, the Itsekiri remained under the British until the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria was created in 1914, without consultation with the Itsekiri people, Lord Lugard decreed Nigeria into existence and made Warri Kingdom (Itsekiri homeland) part of this enterprise.

He said by the map of The Republic of Biafra of May 1967 comprising of Edo and Delta States of Nigeria was never envisioned as a part of Biafra by the Legendary Chukwuemeka Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, saying that the current inclusion of present Delta State including the Itsekiri National territories of Warri Kingdom without due consultation is preposterous, totally unacceptable and ultimately invalid.

 “IPOB and Biafra have their rights of agitation for freedom of self determination as enshrined in the united nation declaration, but other minority ethnic groups not duly consulted and their approval secured should not be dragged along to avoid the mistake that led to the civil war.
“The magnanimity of Itsekiris in allowing Igbos celebrate the Igbo Cultural Day in our land should not be taken for granted as we urge IPOB to delist Itsekiri territories and Warri Areas from its proposed map”, he concluded.

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