Itsekiri Historical Front fact-checks Chief Ominimini's Statements in His So-Called Urhobo State Press Conference

When it comes to addressing the barrage of false statements and misleading information from Urhobo leaders, one cannot help but wonder whether these individuals are at least in a state of sobriety—if not outright intoxication—when they typed their nonsensical claims or spoke on video.

The sheer absurdity of their assertions often leaves one questioning their grasp on reality.

This is precisely why, whenever we hear Urhobo leaders making grandiose claims about their supposed ownership of Warri, or presenting arguments that even a five-year-old child would find laughable, we are immediately reminded of how Judge Maxwell characterized Urhobo leaders in court during their futile attempts to assert ownership over Warri. Their attempts are not only misguided but also reflect a profound disconnect from the historical and cultural realities of the region. It is astonishing how they continue to propagate such baseless narratives, seemingly oblivious to the facts that contradict their claims.

 Judge T.D. Maxwell's assessment of Urhobo witnesses in his 1926 court still resonates today:

  “They come to this court in the persons of a series of utterly illiterate peasant witness. Of the first three, each of them seemed to me merely senile and l accept (not without hesitation) their counsel assertion that they were sober or at least normal in the witness box. Each of the others seemed to me to be abysmally stupid as well as ignorant.” - harsh words that unfortunately remain relevant nearly a century later.

Should we really be questioning whether these so-called Urhobo leaders are actually educated, despite their claims of having the highest universities in Delta State? What they have consistently demonstrated is nothing short of pure illiteracy and ignorance, which is utterly disgraceful for individuals in their positions. 

The claim that “Warri” is urhobo land: The audacity to include Warri, a territory that rightfully belongs to the Itsekiri people, into your state is nothing less than a reckless invitation to breakdown of law and order and war. This kind of action will undoubtedly lead to severe consequences that will not be taken lightly. Warri is Itsekiri land, and only someone completely out of touch—perhaps even intoxicated—would dare to sit comfortably in Abuja and make such unfounded claims. The matter of Warri's ownership has already been settled in court, and the Supreme Court has made its ruling clear, anyone who isn’t an itsekiri in Warri is a tenant to the itsekiri people.

The Itsekiri won both possessory and radical ownership to almost all the lands in Warri – except the Okumagba avenue, where Okumagba won the possessory right, while the radical title still resides with the Olu. SC/309/74 was won by the Okumagba family against the Itsekiri. But it is clear that they won only a possessory title – hear the Supreme Court..

“The averments in the Plaintiff amended statement of claim was based on traditional evidence and partly on acts of ownership. The averments of the defendants’ statement of defense and evidence give a completely different version of the traditional evidence. The defendants also testified as to their acts of ownership of land in dispute. It must be pointed out at this stage that the defendants are not counter claim for title to land (SC 309/74). Emphasis for clarity! 

Since Okumagba did not counter claim to title, it means the title to the land still remains with the Olu, while the Okumagba family had only the possessory title. All the other cases within Warri – W/44/1941; SC 93/98, Suit No. W/41/57, Suit No. W/121/57, Suit No. W/3/1949 and so many others gave both possessory and radical title to the Olu of Warri. 

Thus, from the legions of litigation, only the Itsekiri had both radial and possessory ownership to all the lands in the Warri minus Okumagba layout, where Olu has the radical title, but the Urhobo enclave in Idimi Sobo had the possessry rights. 

The mere existence of a kingdom established within our lands and territories does not grant them ownership of the land. The Agbassa lands rightfully belong to the Olu of Warri and the Itsekiri people, and that is an undeniable fact.

This marks the second occasion in the entire history of the Agbarah migrants in Warri that they have received a staff of office from the Delta State Government or any other government entity in Nigeria, which is a significant point to consider.

The so-called Idimi-usobo Kingdom, now misnamed as Okere Urhobo, is merely a quarter within the Okere Community, Warri kingdom, and we refuse to waste our valuable time discussing it further. 

The reality is that the Urhobos residing in Warri are nothing more than customary tenants to the Itsekiris, and no amount of deceitful tactics or threats of violence can alter this truth. The attempt to incorporate Warri into your so-called “Urhobo state” must be immediately rescinded, as the Urhobos have no rightful claim to land in Warri, which is firmly Itsekiri territory.

In 1864, a European traveler noted, 'At Warri, we were within one day's row of the Sobo people' (Ten Years' Wanderings among the Ethiopians, p. 6r). This suggests that if they were in Warri and only a day's journey away from the Sobo people, it indicates that the Urhobo people were not located in the current Warri or its surrounding region. Therefore, how can Warri be considered Urhobo land? Historical maps consistently demonstrate that Warri is, in fact, Itsekiri land.

The claim that urhobo’s are the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria:

The assertion that the Urhobo people are among the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria is not only utterly ridiculous but also a product of delusional thinking, akin to a group of intoxicated individuals haphazardly editing Wikipedia in a desperate attempt to inflate their own population figures. The reality is that the Urhobo do not even come close to being in the top ten largest ethnic groups in Nigeria. The actual rankings, based on credible demographic data, are as follows:

1. Hausa: 25.1%

2. Yoruba: 21.0%

3. Igbo: 18.0%

4. Ijaw: 10.0%

5. Kanuri: 4.0%

6. Fulani: 3.9%

7. Ibibio: 3.5%

8. Tiv: 2.5%

9. Nupe: 1.8%

10. Jukun (Njikum): 1.5%

So, we must ask, how on earth do the Urhobo claim to be the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria? 

The Claim that urhobo’s are the largest oil and gas producers in Delta State and Nigeria:

Another ludicrous assertion made by this individual is that the Urhobo are the largest producers of oil and gas in Delta State, claiming they account for 50% of the state's oil and gas production and possess more oil resources than the combined totals of Ondo, Imo, and Edo states. We previously addressed these outrageous claims months ago, but it seems that the old adage holds true: “If someone continues to make false statements repeatedly, it may indicate that they are grappling with a mental disorder or persistent delusions.” Is this what we are witnessing with Chief Ominimini?

This assertion stands as one of the most absurd claims ever put forth by anyone hailing from the Urhobo clans. It is imperative to clarify our position once again, as we have done repeatedly in the past. The Itsekiri people of Warri Kingdom, along with the indigenous communities in Delta South, Delta Central, and Edo State, are not only the leading producers of oil and gas in Delta State but also in Edo State as well. 

The Itsekiri oil fields, including the Okan field, Meji field, Meta field, and Meren field, collectively yield more oil than any of the wells they falsely boast about. Furthermore, this does not even take into account the numerous oil wells located in the Maru field, Mefa field, Meje field, Mejo field, Mesan field, Dibi field, Olero field, Abiteye, Macaraba, and others. The oil wells situated in the OML 150 communities in Warri South alone far exceed whatever exaggerated figures they are claiming. It is time to put an end to these misleading statements and recognize the undeniable truth about the oil production capabilities of the Itsekiri people.

The claim that urhobo’s are the majority in Warri South and are the sole owners of Delta Central:

The absurdly claimed that the Urhobo people are the largest ethnic group in Warri South. Such a statement is nothing short of insanity, if not a clear sign of a dementia disorder, for Chief Ominimini to make such a bizarre assertion. The Urhobo reside in seven communities within Warri South, all of which are situated on Itsekiri lands. In stark contrast, the Itsekiri people inhabit over fifty communities in Warri South, with twenty of those being densely populated. To put this into perspective, the population of Ubeji alone is twice that of the Urhobo in Warri South, highlighting the sheer ridiculousness of his claim.

Furthermore, he has the audacity to assert that the Urhobo are the sole owners of Delta Central and that they are the only ethnic group in that region. It would serve Chief Ominimini well to seek some education, as these statements reflect a gross level of illiteracy and a complete disregard for the facts. Delta Central encompasses eight local governments, and out of those, six are shared between the Itsekiri and Urhobo peoples. The Itsekiri in Delta Central have endured significant marginalization and oppression at the hands of the Urhobo, making his claims not only unfounded but also deeply offensive.

The Claim that Warri Refinery is located in urhobo land:

He also made an utterly reckless and inflammatory statement claiming that the Warri refinery is situated on Urhobo land. Such a statement could only come from someone who is clearly out of touch with reality, perhaps even suffering from dementia. Ubeji, Ifie, Aja-Etan, and Ijala, in conjunction with the Itsekiri land trust, are the ones who actually leased the lands of the Warri refinery to the federal government. It was not the Urhobo people who did this, so how on earth can they assert that the refinery is on their land? The boundaries between Ekpan and Ubeji are clearly marked at the Ekpan police station, a location that was established precisely because of the boundary disputes between these two communities. It is important to note that the government built the police station right in the middle of this contentious area to address these disputes. Yet, despite this historical context, the Ekpan people have now encroached upon the very gates of the Ubeji community. Initially, they claimed to be an impacted community, and now they are absurdly declaring themselves part of the host community. One cannot help but wonder what exactly they are hosting. Is it the tankers that traverse the roads? What legitimate claim do they have to be considered a host community when the land in question does not belong to them? The Warri refinery is undeniably situated on Itsekiri land, not Urhobo land.

The claim that when Delta state was created for the urhobo people;

It is no secret that Delta State has historically been perceived as belonging to the Urhobo people, who have systematically marginalized various ethnic groups politically, culturally, and economically throughout the state. Just a year after Delta State was established, Urhobo tenants in Warri launched attacks against Itsekiri people, fueled by the belief that they could act with impunity simply because the first governor of the state was Urhobo. This sense of entitlement led to the longstanding demand for the creation of Warri State, which would encompass all Itsekiri territories. The agitation for Warri State has roots as deep as the very establishment of Delta State itself.

The urhobo’s feels entitled to the seat of governorship permanently that is why many times they keep saying delta state belongs to them this has without a doubt frustrated political efforts of other ethnic groups in the state which has renewed agitations of separation in the state. Itsekiri’s demands Warri State, Anioma demands Anioma state etc.

The Itsekiri Historical Front strongly condemns Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi for his embarrassing display at the press conference. His utterances were an affront not only to himself but also to his supposed academic credentials as a graduate and a chief who spoke like an uneducated simpleton.

His words were laced with misinformation ; his tone reeked of arrogance; his entire demeanor was an affront to intellectual discourse; his speech was so bereft of logic. 

We implore Chief Obiuwevbi to seek enlightenment on the topics he ventured into, as his ignorance is an insult not only to himself but also to his people. His lack of knowledge on these matters is staggering; his temerity in speaking authoritatively despite his glaring ignorance is an affront to reason.

Let us be clear: Warri is Itsekiri land - an irrefutable fact that cannot be distorted by revisionist agendas. Any further attempt to annex Itsekiri lands into a proposes Urhobo state will be perceived as an egregious act of aggression and will be met with fierce resistance from the Itsekiri people.

We caution Chief Obiuwevbi against further indulgence in such reckless rhetoric; his actions risk igniting tensions between our peoples; his words have consequences. We will not stand idly by while he peddles falsehoods; we will resist any attempt to distort history; we will defend our lands; we will assert our rights.

Signed: 

Comr. Lily-white O. Esigbone 

Chairman 

Mr. Silva Samuel Maku

Secretary 

Mr. Oritsegbubemi Adrian Edema

Historian/Researcher

Mr. Oritseweyiologbara Kwame Woode

PRO

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