Activist warns of crisis over Warri land ownership dispute

Because the one-month closing date for fee of the annual one-pound tenancy levy to the Odion/Ogisi family by the Warri Urhobo expired remaining week, rights activist Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor has educated the Federal Executive to prevail on the defendants to obey the 1927 and 1951 court judgements on the possession of Warri to avert an impending disaster within the Oil Metropolis.

The activist, who spoke at a press briefing in Lagos, argued that even though the alleged disobedience is upsetting, the Itsekiri folks will continue to embrace peace.

The Igba of the Warri Kingdom in Delta Train acknowledged: “The Urhobo (Eyiekpimi, Okumagba households) contain refused to pay the one-pound annual tenancy fee they had been ordered to pay. They've also a long way exceeded the two plots before the full lot dispensed to them. Many folks had been questioning what we would enact now that the ultimatum has lapsed. Enable us to be obvious: we have accomplished what is most critical.”

She claimed: “The Ijaw contain taken over the land of our ancestors. As we focus on, Tompolo is shopping mammoth swathes of our territory. This is in a position to perchance well furthermore be challenged in court. But our fingers are tied because Tompolo enjoys the elephantine backing of the Federal Executive. The authorities has, in enact, handed over our seacoast to him.

“The Itsekiri are essentially fishermen and traders. Most of our property lies on the waterways. Yet, we are under siege: the Urhobo are combating us on land, and the Ijaw are combating us on water. So we ask, sincerely: the place enact we move from here?

“We are calling on the Federal Executive for safety. The authorities has handed us over to Tompolo—a non-yell actor. In spite of folks might perchance perchance perchance well furthermore honest scream, we silent contain self belief in our courts.”

Our lawyers are currently engaged on two existing court judgments to files our subsequent line of action.”

The activist added: “And but this day, both the Urhobo and the Ijaw are aggressively claiming and occupying Itsekiri land. The Urhobo, whom we welcomed and granted farmland, contain now taken our generosity for granted. The motive the Urhobo are acting the come they enact is because they know that only the Itsekiri can stop their expansionist agenda. That is the unhappy truth.”

She concluded: “We are now not calling for war. We are calling for justice. We are now not tense violence. We are tense safety. We are now not inciting stress. We are attention-grabbing for equity.

“The Itsekiri folks deserve peace, recognize, and territorial integrity. We have accomplished our section. Now, we name on the Nigerian authorities—and the sector—to enact theirs.”