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From: yorubaancienths@yahoo.com
Category: COMPILATION
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CHAPTER SIX ODUDUWA: EVOLUTION OF NIGER – DELTA CIVILIZATION We are looking critically into how the Oduduwa culture penetrated the Niger Delta area. Oduduwa and his legion of followers formed the Yoruba ruling class. The Dynasty of Oduduwa spread to Benin. Through Benin, most of the western Igbo areas had the Oduduwan civilization in the form of kingship and the establishment of religion. Even some eastern Igbo areas – Onitsha, Oguta, etc - benefited from the Oduduwan Monarchical Revolution. (Oshomha Imoagene 1990, and JFA Ajayi and Michael Crowder, 1971). The Oduduwan revolution spread to most parts of Benin republic among the Yorubas, Ajas and to Togo; among the Yorubas and Ewes, and even among the Ga Adangmes of Ghana. All these people claim their dynasties derive either from Oyo or Ife. The Oyo or the Ife dynasties were Yorubas. The Oduduwa revolution spread to Sierra Leone, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Jamaica etc. One can argue that this was as a result of the ignoble slave trade. We hold a different view, however. First, there are historical evidences to show that coastal Yoruba such as the Itsekiri who Alagoa referred to as “religious innovations in several of these places” traveled to South America where they influenced the civilization of the Inca the Maya and the Aztec. Second, even the Yoruba, who went there as slaves, had a very noble culture. The Yoruba are not the only people bought as slaves to the Americas. Some ethnic groups were sold in greater numbers than the Yoruba. Since the Yoruba could spread their culture even as slaves in an alien land, where very organized religions like the Roman Catholic abound, it is a credit to their religious adaptability and acceptably. We are, however looking at a very small area, the Niger Delta. Niger Delta stretches from the Benin River in the west to Okrika – Kalabari axis in the East. It is an area of many mangrove swamps and thick vegetation. Fishing, timber lumbering and canoe-carving are the major occupations of these peoples. The major ethnic group – both in population and spatially - are the Ijaws. The next in population are the Urhobos – the Efiks and the Ibibios are not considered as Niger Delta peoples or else they would have being considered more important than the Ijaws and Urhobos, both in population and the mastery of the environment during historical times. Very little is known about the cultures of the Ogonis, Ekpeyes Etches and other minority groups in the Niger Delta region In this write-up, we are not implying that the Urhobos and Ijaws are Yorubas – they are very far from being so. What we are saying is that they derive most of their civilization as a consequence of the Oduduwa religious and monarchical revolution. The Itsekiri being the most south easterly Yoruba-speaking people, were the ones who carried the Oduduwa civilization to the Urhobos and the Ijaws. Dapper in 1668 had described the Itsekiri as being in many ways cleverer than the Bini (Roth H. Ling. Great Benin). Captain Leonard described the lsekiri thus: ‘on the Warri and Benin rivers we find the ltsekiri middle men who are not only the most intelligent and tractable but quite the best mannered of all the tribes in the lower Niger’ (southern Nigeria) (Captain Leonard 1906). Debry described the ijaws as follows: “At the mouth of this river are the ljaws (blacks), called from their robbers the pirates of USA (ljaw.) They are very poor and live only by plunder, sailing to all parts of the river and seizing all that comes in their way, men, cattle or goods, which they use for victuals where of they are wholly un-provided (captain Leonard 1906). From these impartial sources the eastern Yoruba are the more civilized than the Ijaws and Urhobos. GENERAL SPREAD OF YORUBIC CIVILIZATION. IN THE NIGER DELTA 1 The Spread of Native Courts: The native courts system started with the Itsekiri, and from the Itsekiri, Urhobos and the bulk of the Ijaws in the western Delta – from Burutu to Dodo river area in Bayelsa state – got the native courts system. Now, here Obaro Ikime, “When the native courts were being established in the outlaying districts of the division, leading Itsekiri with trading interests in those parts were given warrants in order to show the Sobos and other less enlightened tribes how the working of the courts should be carried on” (Obaro ikeme1969). On another occasion Ikime says: Chief Ekeke was a political Agent for Ganagana western Ijaw division. I was sent with chief Ekeke to assist him (sic). Than later Copland and Crawford and Chief Ekeke proceeded into the bush and opened the native courts. The courts opened by them all Frukama, Okpara, Ughelli and Jeremi’ Obaro Ikime 1969). From the above quotations it is evident that all Urhobos and the bulk of the western Ijaws got the court system from the Itsekiri. 2. The Deltan Attire The attire of the entire Delta peoples – the Ijaws, Itsekiri, Urhobos, Ogonis etc. – were derived from the foreign mode of dressing. This Portuguese mode of dressing – cowboy hats and wrappers spread from the Itsekiri to the other peoples of the Niger Delta. The female dress used by all and sundry in Nigeria is associated with the Niger Delta and they began with Itsekiri. Minus the dress mode, the corals of the other peoples within the Niger Delta area radiate from the Itsekiri. Now hear the authorities. In a book written as far back as 1899, Mary H Kingsley confirmed that the Itsekiri were exporting clothes and slaves by 1678 AD. To buttress the fact that the Itsekiri were actually exporting cloth in 1678 AD, Joe Sagay says “There were nobody to relieve him and not until 1691 was he able to send priests to continue the missionary work. These men however, lacked his zeal and energy. One of them was more interested in trade than in Christian enterprise. He probably saw that the only thing that might make the mission pay its way was for the priest to serve both God and Mammon. He found out that the Itsekiri made some unusual cloth from bark of trees and that the Olu himself held the monopoly of this product. The priests bought all the available stock with tobacco and neglected the work of conversion, while he pursued this profitable trade”. (Sagay: the Warri kingdom) to corroborate this, Eve De Negri confirmed that the local Itsekiri weaving was influenced by the European presence Eve De Negri says: “In the Delta regions, the manufacture of cloths was somewhat influenced by contact with the Portuguese traders, from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These traders brought real Indian Madras, cotton cloth and other fine cloths from India to exchange for African commodities. The Indian madras was inspiration to women, who learnt the method of weaving such a cloth, using silk and cotton threads in varied patterns and colours. These clothes were established in traditional colours of saffron yellow and red, but other colours were eventually added including mauve purple and pink. Many cloths being embroidered with realistic motifs, depicting birds, flowers and animals, stripped and checked girders finished with fine silk strings were among the designs. The most remarkable traditional cloth is the one called Ileleji Akpo (body cloth) which is woven entirely form silk treads. This is popularly known as senior service cloth. A sample of cloth worn in the nineteenth century in Warri district shows the Itsekiri art of weaving, to have been intricate and advanced in technique. The piece consists of four strips joined to make it both wide and long, measuring 230cm by 158cm. Evidently, it was on a continuous warp loom (woman’s loom) the silk patterns rendered only on one side of the cloth, woven by the technique known as floating jacquard, the lower side appearing pale. Matching up of colours had been carried out, the range being bright red, violet and blue. The warp ends hanging freely as deep fringes. It is said that silk fabrics were imported and unraveled for the use of local weavers, but this is doubtful. There is a kind of moth to be found in some areas which produced small amounts of silk threads, suggesting that the ancient source of silk threads may have been from these moths; or from fabric taken from the bark of trees. (Eve De Negri; Nigeria Body Adournment). Apart from the manufacture of cloth, bead weaving was also done by the Itsekiri. Now hear the authorities, Ling Roth says “Such corals as the Binis had was obtained through Jekri (Itsekiri) traders, either from the Benin River or Lagos”. (Roth 1903). Roth says further, at Warri, “The actual crown of the king is a sort of a large cap in the shape of a cone three feat high, covered with coral beads and with a couple of birds, heads on top”. (Roth 1903) This crown has been looted during the Warri massacre1997-2003. Even De Negri said further on coral beads, “This coral was first discovered (so it is told) during the fifteenth century in the reign of Oba Ewuare. This type of coral was obtained from a tree, growing on the sandy bank of the Benin River”. It is evident; therefore, that both cloth weaving and bead making began with the Itsekiri and spread to the other peoples of the Niger Delta. Concerning this spread of Itsekiri attire Ogbobine writes. “With the progress of time, the Itsekiri mode of dressing has gradually spread to all parts of Nigeria, and it is now common to see Nigerian women both young and old, dressed in Itsekiri fashion with the costly head ties. The use of coral beads, by Benin and Itsekiri chiefs in very early times has become part of the dress of all chiefs in the Benin and Delta provinces; even thought the origin and sanctity of the coral beads are unknown to them in the same manner, women all over Nigeria, now look on beads which were the prerogative of Itsekiri women as part of their dress for ceremonial and festival occasions, and coral beads are now gradually replacing gold trinkets” (Ogbobine; Warri Land Trust Review) The Urhobos and the Ijaws were the first to copy both the Itsekiri dressing and bead wearing. It is important say here that most Urhobos got their beads when they pirated on the Itsekiri in 1952, while most Ijaws looted Itsekiri beads from 1997 – 2003 during the Warri Massacre. THE EDOS: BINIS, ISHANS, AFEMAIS AND ORAS H. Ling Rohr captain Leonard etal had commented that Benin and Warri were originally one Kingdom. It was in the mystic half of the Kingdom - Warri - that most civilizations took place. Dapper records that the people of Warri are in many things cleverer that the people of Benin. It was in the riverine part (Warri) that the Binis go to serve their most revered deity, Olokun. It is in the mystic Kingdom of Warri that the Binis got their beads for dressing their Obas; where they discovered salt, and where they have the genesis of their water religion. It is evident therefore that Warri did not capture Benin, but they would have done it during the regime of Olomu and Nanna, had they wanted. What the Itsekiri did was to spread civilization - the salt industry, the bead industry and the water religion and mythology - to the Binis. According to the Binis, the first king (Igodo) dropped from the skies on a huge pool of water where he poured sand and formed dry land. This was in the dynasty in the dynasty of the Ogisos. The early kings of Benin- Igodo, Ere and Orire- have names that are identical with the Itsekiri which shows that these three earliest kings came from a riverine habitat- Ode-Itsekiri. Little wonder then they talk of ending on huge water and pudding canoes, activities which can only be carried out in the riverine average. The fact that the Oba (Olua) was able to deceive his people that Ginuwa, his first son and heir apparent to the Benin throne (Edaikin of Uselu) was going to Warri to serve Olokun (Umale Oken) showed that the Binis had been going there to serve the deity. Thus, we see that the Binis have Warri, (the land beloved of Umaloken) as their sacred spiritual home, the Edos, the man Ginuwa than took the title (Ogiame) king of the watery terrain, the corresponding title of Olokun, chief god of the Edos. The Edos in their traditional philosophy see the land as being surrounded by water, into which all the rivers flow. And it is through this large volume of water that the souls of the dead travel on their way to be born and on their journey after physical death. The land of Ughoton (Ughoton) is the approximate boundary that they locate this mysterious abode which lay beyond Ughoton (Ugwoton or Gwatto) in the direction of the mysterious Atlantic. So many branches of civilization: the discovery of salt; the use of coral beads, and the worship of Olokun were introduced by the Itsekiri to the Binis. Rouppels officials confirmed that king Osogbua (Orhogbua, who through the Itsekiri captured Lagos), discovered salt in Itsekiri country. Concerning the corals used by the Oba of Benin and it inferiority to those used by Itsekiri chiefs (not even the |Olu) H. Ling Roth says: “According to Bold coral beads,” are the intrinsic treasures of the rich, being held in highest estimation and from their rarity, are only in the hands of a few chiefs, whose avidity for them is immeasurable; the species admired are the pipe beads of various dimensions, and are valued at ten large jars of oil an ounce, of the smaller sort, and so on in the proportion for this larger sized”. Mr. Punch informs me that “as a matter of fact, the king of Benin had few, if any, of the large coral beads such as Nanna, Dore Dudu and Jekri (Itsekiri) chiefs obtained from the merchants in the Benin River. His coral was insignificant pipe corals and was only striking when made up into vests and hats. The Binis valued more the agate beads and especially the dull agate was a king’s gift and no one would wear such a neck let unless it were given him by the king. It was death in fact to wear it otherwise. The shiny crystalline agate, with white quartz veins, anyone could use. Such corals as the Binis had was obtained through Jekri (Itsekiri) traders, either from the Benin river or Lagos. The Binis said it was dug, up at the ‘back of Benin’ (Jekri country) but everything in the days I am (from 1898) which was at all mysterious came from the back of Benin (Jekri country)”. 12 From the above quote two things are evident: (1) Beads got to the Binis through the Itsekiri (2) Itsekiri chiefs referred to by H.Ling Roth, Cyril Punch Roupell etc, that reigned during the interregnum wore more beautiful and costlier beads than those used by the Oba of Benin. Manly the long interregnum that occurred in Warri T. N. Tamuno says. “The long interregnum in Itsekiri land continued from 1848 until 1936”. 13 It was the chiefs who were prominent during this interregnum that wore those costly beads that the writers describe so aptly. Eve de Negri further said concerning the origin of the beads used by the Binis. Hear Her. “This coral was first discovered (so it is told) during the fifteen century in the reign of Oba Ewuare. This type of coral was obtained from a tree, growing on the sandy bank of the Benin river. It was collected by divers who said it grow on strong ground, Blue stone or coral was ground into Beads at Benin and made in the forms of oral”. 14 Itsekiri traditions as narrated by Atigbic an Apostle of UmaleOkun, and a descendent of Orunmila, identified the town on the Benin river, where corals grew to be Urejusinin (the Delta new village for the Ijaws, there, Ajopia). This was according to tradition where the Olu and Oba got their beads until the Olu (Atormgboge-Dom Antonio De Mingo) cursed the people of Urejusinins (now Ijaw-Ajopia, approved by Ibori after he has helped to distroy Aja-Ugbodudu) for cutty the tree that bear corals. Thus, they left the sandy and spacious area they inhabit in Urejusisin to found Ureju, in a muddy area between the twisting creeks. Eve de Negri comments further: “Coral beads remained popular for centuries are still considered a vital part of the regalia of rulers of the Delta areas and other places in Nigeria. The most active middle men in the trade for coral beads were the Itsekiri people who are related to the Benin aristocracy”. 15 It is obvious therefore, that the Itsekiri were not only the manufacturers of beads, but that even the great Benin empire copied the art of Beads from the Itsekiri. The art of bead weaving also left Ode-Itsekiri to Angola Brazil, and so many parts of the world as you shall read very soon. Describing further, the bead crown of the Olu and some of the Itsekiri aristocracy H. Ling Roth said: “At Warri “the actual crown of the sovereign is a sort of of a cone the feet high, covered with coral of birds, heads on top”. Some of the Jekri chiefs display a very fair show of wealth, which usually takes the form of silks, corals gold and ornaments all specially ordered for them by the white traders. I have seen Nanna (late chiefs of Brohemie) with seven or eight hundred pounds worth of coral on him”. 16 We have seen so far now that both salt and beads used by the early Binis were discovered in the Itsekiri country. And the Binis see Itsekiri land as the place from where the spirit of the dead sail through to heaven. The fact that Ginuwa brought a lot of beads to the Warri kingdom cannot be disputed. But as the records show, the Benin ancestors of Ginuwa, got the beads from the Itsekiri in the first instance. Minus that the Benin ruling house, like the Ife or Ilaje or Itsekiri ruling house are Yorubas: all of them - sons of Oduduwa. Again when the Binis came, they did not meet Warri in a vacuum. Itsekiri, thwn the Olu of Warri, abdicated his throne for Ogbawuru, the son of Ginuwa, thus, ending the dynasty of Itsekiri and his Irigboal ancestors. Through the Binis the idea of coral beads spread to the Ishans, Afenmais, Oras, Akoko Edos etc. Also when Dore Numa was of acting for the Olu of Warri, he helped to settle the leadership tussles in the Benin kingdom. At this point Overami had been arrested and the kingdom of Benin - it was no longer an empire- was suffering from internal decadence. Paramount chief Dore Numa restored the kingdom to the rightful owner. See “Benin and Warri: Meeting points in history”, by J. O. S. Ayomike. H. Ling Roth said when the Binis serve Oloken they will say (Malaku Mobia)- Umalokun Mobie- “Umalokun I implore thee”. This shows that the Binis had the origin of Umale Okun (the African Poseidon), in the land of Itsekiri. Thus, those early Obas of Benin: Igodo, Orire and Ere, the first three Obas in the Ogiso dynasty were actually descended from Ode-Itsekiri from the ancient waterial descendants of Atlantis. For they talk of first dwelling in a watery abode before the appearaue of land. In one of their accounts, the Edos claim discent from God himself, who they say is the grand father of Iso (Sky) who in turn is the grand father of Idu, ancestor of the Binis. One of the nrothers of Idu called. Olukumi (the Yorubas were first called Olukumi, today a tribe called olukumi, speaking a language very similar to Itsekiri-Yoruba, and the legends claim they all descended from Egypt, are to be found in parts of Edo and Delta States) lived with him in Uhe (Ife) before they left to found Benin. Seen Michael Crowder: “The story of Nigeria”, Page 63. The word Olukumi in Itsekiri, means a friend of mine. The word Oluken, rather than Ore is still used in Ife is evident that Idu and his brothers left to Ile-Ife, after the southward migration of the Yorubas to Ode-Itsekiri and thence to Ile-ife. This is why the story the story of a watery terrain remains in the tradition of the Binis and the Ifes who are located very far from the Atlantic coast. The vast expanse of water, where the ancestors of the Binis and the Ifes find themselves is no other place than the Itsekiri territory of the Atlantic coast. At a time, the powerful Bini kingdom was paying tax to the Olu of Warri when the yoke of imperialism crumbled the once great kingdom of the Guinea. Concerning this issue Michael Crowder says: “With the decline of Ughoton the Benin had to use the parts of the Benin river and thus, pay dues to the Olu of Warri in whose territory the parts was located”.17 In conclusion the Itsekiris introduced the following to Benin: salt, beads, and the worship of Umale Okun. The Itsekiri under Dore also helped the Binis to revive their monarchy. THE URHOBOS Most Urhobos - in the greater part of their history- fell within the Itsekiri influence and they were greatly benefited by the social inter-course. Although there were a few conquest of some Urhobo areas, particularly during the regime of Oloma and Nanna, what the Itsekiri did in Urhobo land was to spread civilization- both traditional and western type. The Itsekiri-Yorubas were not mainly warriors - that didn’t mean they shied away from defending their land. They spread civilization whenever they went as they were wont to. It is an open sacret the attires of both Urhobo men and women were direct copy from that of the Itsekiri-Yoruba. Although the Urhobos are not as bedecked and elegant as their Itsekiri counter part. Small as their Itsekiri culture survived in Urhobo land much more than the Urhobo culture survived in Warri. Talbot commented that. “There seems to have been no chiefs of importance among the Sobo (Urhobo) Each town was independent and was ruled by its own head man, although all were under the Obba of Benin or the Olu of Jekri (Warri)”. 18 Corroborating the fact that the Urhobos (Sobos) have no major king- even among the Ukpe-Urrhobos, the assassination of Ezezi in about 1750 left the place in an interregnum till the 1900s - each village being headed by a clan or village head, and all were under the Olu of Warri or the Oba of Benin, William Moore wrote concerning the four Urhobo clans of Agbara-Otor, Ughelle, Iyede and Ugo. “When the kingdom of Iwere (Warri) was established in the fifteenth century, their interest became divided; and having no king (Olaja) of their own, some acknowledged the Olu of Itsekiri (Warri) as their overlord, whilst others still adhered to the Bini throne”.19 The Urhobo clans will be analyzed one after the other. on other people’s lands. Thus, the Urhobos can effectively boast of 17 clans. The Idimi - Sobos although not tenant only possess some tracts of land - are also not a clan, and very far from being a kingdom even if some notorious government try to subvert court orders to create illegalities. Thus, of the seventeen Urhobo clans the Ukpes, associated with the Itsekiri and became very THE OKPES (UKPES) The Okpes, according to the words of chief M.P Olkumagba in “A SHORT HISTORY OF URHOBOS”, represent all that is good and rich in Urhobo culture. So this rich and cultural in Urhobo ethnographical equation, being propinquous to Itsekiri-Yorubas have many points to prove on Itsekirial patrimonial practices. And whatever they have as being rich in culture and tradition - especially their kingly practices and the accoulvement of their king: the beads, swords and long flowing garments- were a direct copy fro the Itsekiri-Yoruba. The Ukpes are the most bilingual of all the Urhobo clans. The Urhobos claim to have twenty-two clans, this is not true however. The Uvwies, Agbassas are tenants in Warri land. The Idimisobos of Okere only possess tracts of land. The Ugharas are actually living on land owned by the Nama family of Koko, but due to the tyranny of numbers, the HOW THE URHOBOS WERE CIVILIZED Until very recently, the Urhobos had no major traditional ruler. They paid homage either to the Oba of Benin or the Olu of Warri. Talbot says, “There seems to have been no chiefs of importance among the Sobo (Urhobo). Each town was independent and was ruled by its own head man, although all were under the Oba of Benin or Olu of Warri. (Talbot 1926). Agreeing with Talbot that the Sobos had no king of importance, William Moore wrote,” when the kingdom of Iwere (Warri) was established in the fifteenth century, their (Urhobo) interest became divided, and having no king (Olaja) of their own, some acknowledged the Olu of Warri as their overlord, whilst others still adhered to the Bini throne”. (Moore 1936). It is evident therefore, that by traditional politics, that the Urhobos got their leadership from the Itsekiri. Warri was also the most centralized kingdom on the western delta from the 15th century to the early nineteenth century. So, it was the power broker in the whole of the western Niger delta. On this hear Alagoa ‘The Itsekiri kingdom of Warri (Odeitsekiri) was the most important. Political and commercial centre within the western delta from the fifteenth century to the early nineteenth century. the more numerous Ijo to the east and west of the Itsekiri did not develop centralized polities of a size to offer effective competition in the immediate hinterland, the Urhobos and Isoko were also largely organized in decentralized communities, and served as the producers of slaves ,later , palm oil and palm kernels to the Itsekiri middlemen’ (EJ Alagoa: 1989: 726 THE URHOBO CLANS The Urhobo clans will be analyzed one after the other 1. The Okpes (Ukpes). In the words of Chief MP Okumagba, the Okpes represent all that is good and rich in Urhobo culture (MP OKUMAGBA a short history of the Urhobos). Their proximity to the Itsekiris has made them to possess this “rich” culture. The Ukpes are the most bilingual of all the Urhobo clans. The Urhobo claim to have 22 clans (kingdoms?). This is not true, however. The Uvwies are tenants of the Gbolokposos, and by extension, the Olu. The Agbasas are tenants of the Olu. The Ogharas are actually living on Nana’s family land of Koko. That is why they are always attacking Ajagbodudu. . The Jesses are tenants on Bini land. And the Idimi-Sobos of Okere only possess tracts of land. They never constituted a clan much more a kingdom. Thus, the Urhobos can actually boast of seventeen clans (kingdoms?) Of the 17 Urhobo clans, the Ukpes are the most civilized. This civilization is got by associating with the Itsekiri. Itsekiri legends talked about Ebelle, a son of Olu Irame, who ruled in the sixteenth century, and got lost in Okpe land – which at that time was part of the Benin Empire. It should be noted that at that point in time, the Okpes have not migrated to their present habitat. The Esezi Historical Fraud Of recent the Okpes have been priding themselves as the descendants of 4 brothers _one being Esezi their first king. From all accounts Esezi was never a king because of the following reasons: 1) The chronological accounts are all wrong. One person cannot be the son of an Ogiso, who lived c1170 and at the same time be the great grandson of Oba Orhogbua of Benin, thereby placing his existence in c1680 and being contemporaneous with the Olomu clan ancestors of the Idimisobos of Okere. It is all fraudulent chronology! It is also a historical truth that in the Ogiso times, the Benin kingdom has not attained the political might and civilization to carry out empire building. They reached this stage during the reign of Oba Eware c1440. So, the Okpe legends cannot be true. they are fables! 2) No king of Esezi’s caliber can exist and his kingdom will be confined only to Orerokpe. there is no oral tradition among any of the circumjacent negroes : Jesses, Ogharas, Mosogars, Uvwies etc about a conquest from the Okpe. Or is it because these people only came to their area in the 19th century? 3) there is no historical record that shows the existence of Esezi. No intelligence report. no single historical evidence. No archaeological proofs nothing. No single historian who lived 100 years ago or more ever mentioned the existence of any great king in the okpe geopolity. In fact there has never been a mention of any great king or kingdom in the Okpe area or even mention of a kingdom. The Urhobos as a whole, are described as decentralized people 4) A man as great as Esezi never married from any of the neighbouring peoples. No body from Jesse , Oghara, Itsekiri etc is related to this Esezi. Or as a great king he never knew of inter kingdom marriages? This is most unlikely for a great African king. If the Esezi myth has any truth in it , the Okpes would not leave their land vacant to be ruled by Itsekiri regents. Three Itsekiri regents: ibakpadodo, Amakatse and Ofukunije. Another regent Sagay ruled during the Olomu period at Sapele. Today, the Sagay family has a big piece of land at Amukpe in sapele to authenticate this history. The itsekiri took control of this area during the period when the Ijaws and the Itsekiri were warring for the mastery of the Niger Delta area. The Okpes have tried to hide the real story by saying that the itsekiri only came to trade with them. On this hear Salubi “Omarin seemed to have shed a ray of light on the remoteness of the time in his historic letter of 1912 (13) to Chief Dore Numa. Chief Omarin stated in the letter that when Ijeghare (14) and his people were at Sapele, the 'Ijo' or 'Ujon' people were often troubling him. Ijeghare therefore sent to the Olu to give him one of his Captains to trade with him. That the "Olu" sent to him at Sapele a man called Ibakpododo, that after Ibakpododo died, Princes "Idolu" (15) sent "Amakatse". That after Amakatse's death, she sent one Ofokunije.” (THE ORIGINS OF SAPELE TOWNSHIP By ADOGBEJI SALUBI) a wise observer who can read between the lines will quickly discern that the Okpes are only trying to falsify historical facts, to downplay disgrace. The Okpes never begged the olu for a trade partner , but the Olu defeated the ijaws at Sapele and constituted a regency there From the above points it is obvious that Esezi was never a king. He never existed! About 1780, when the Okpes were beginning to consolidate their stand, Oguni (Ogoni) the son of Erejuwa II came and founded Aghalokpe. The place was where the Ukpes dispersed. The most important shrine in Urhobo nation, Unurhie, was established by the grandson of Ogoni the founder of Aghalokpe (Okumagba ibid). Minus Unurhie, the Okpes are staunch worshippers of Umale-Okun that Olomu and Ololo introduced to them when they founded Ugbukurusu and Aghalokpe. Many Okpes today bear Itsekiri names – Ayomanor, Abeke, Owumi etc. The Agban burial rite is done among the Itsekiri, the Okpe did it for the first time in 1949. The invitation of the spirit of the dead back home is also now being copied by the Okpes The chieftaincy attire of the Okpes are pure copies from the Itsekiri. When Ginuwa was coming form Benin in 1472, he stopped at Ugharegin (Oghareki) then Jegbo’s descendant farmland as part of Efurokpe. He pegged his staff that grew to become an Iroko. As he crossed to Sapele, he met an Itsekiri man (Sapele) Apele ,who had a wife, Otsoro and a son, Ugbanghoro. These Itsekiri people at the waterside were the only people in the Sapele vicinity. They paid homage to Ginuwa, and then ran to Eghoro in the Benin River where the man became deified as Apele Juju or Sapele abija mefa. (Sapele of the six junctions.) Much later, Olomu came to Sapele and was using it as a head port to the hinterland. One Ogiegba, from Orerokpe was his tenant. This Ogiegba became recalcitrant and started preventing the Itsekiri from moving to the hinterland. Olomu's forces led by Sagay and Igben totally crushed Ogiegba. He was taken to Ebrohimi city in the Benin River for punishment. When he was returned, he was stationed at Amukpe (A mu Okpe) where the Okpes were arrested. Sagay and Sibogi came to Amukpe to monitor his movement. Ogieba entered a treaty to remain as tenant in Sapele and to accept the over lordship of the Itsekiris, under Olomu. Olomu’s son Nanna leased the ATP (African Timber and Plywood) to the colonial government. Nana’s sister, Ebeji, leased the Sapele general hospital, while Sagay leased the Sapele market to the colonial government. All these are signs that Itsekiri own the land. But due to fracas between the Olomu family and Olu of Warri, these vital documents were not released by the Koko community who are the historical owners of Sapele. The Okpe winning is a clear perversion and rape of justice. In those days, (before the Okpes came to Sapele) the Itsekiri were stationing regents in Sapele to check the Ijaw piracy (Ijaws have been pirates for long). Olu Akengbuwa (1797 – 1848) placed Amakatse as regent. Princess Iye (1852) placed Ibakpadodo there as regent to check the Ijaw menace. At this time, the Itsekiri and Ijaws (all watermen) were fighting for the mastery of the Sapele area, as they have resumed doing today. Concerning the Itsekiri ownership and control of Sapele, prior to the privy council ruling he said, “The house system was “par excellence, the institution of such coastal ethnic groups as the Ijos, Efiks and the Itsekiri of Sapele and Warri. (Tamuno TN: (1972) Correct history of sapele The Okpes, according to the words of Chief M.P Okumagba in “A SHORT HISTORY OF URHOBOS”, represent all that is good and rich in Urhobo culture. So this rich and cultural in Urhobo ethnographical equation, being propinquous to Itsekiri-Yorubas have many points to prove on Itsekirial patrimonial practices. And whatever they have as being rich in culture and tradition - especially their kingly practices and the attire of their king: the beads, swords and long flowing garments- were direct copies fro the Itsekiri-Yoruba. The Ukpes are the most bilingual of all the Urhobo clans. The Urhobos claim to have twenty-two clans, this is not true however. The Uvwies, Agbassas are tenants in Warri land. The Idimisobos of Okere only possess tracts of land. The Ugharas are actually living on land owned by the Nana family of Koko and the land of the Efurokpe, but due to the tyranny of numbers, the Kokos are even afraid to look at the land rather than to even talk about it... They have already burnt down Ajabodudu.. The Jesses, too, despite the fact that they have in some cases humiliated the Binis are tenants on Benin land. No amount of fights or denials can obliterate the facts of history- the Agbases, Uvwies, Ugharas, Jesses, Idimi Sobos are not clans. They are tenants living in other peoples lands. In all Ukpe villages - Ugbukurusu, Aghalokpe, Mereje etc. Itsekiri is understood by almost every one. In Itsekiri legends, it is said that in the sixteenth century, during the reign of Irame, the third Olu in the Ginuwa dynasty, one of his sons, Ebele, got lost in the geopolity known as Okpe land today - but then was a part of the ancient Benin Empire. It should be noted however, that at this time in history, the Okpes have not migrated to their present land. . Towards the end of the end of the 18th century about 1780, when the Ukpes were beginning to consolidate their stand in their country, Goony (Ogoni) the son of Olu Erejuwa II for there was an Erejuwa who went to Portugal and returned in 1530, when a church was built at Warri went to Okpeland. In those days the Olu, Erejuwa II was fighting a war with the Mein Ijaw of the River Niger, who refused to pay their tributes to the Olu. As his kingdom then reached the west Bank of the Niger River. When the battle was long drawn, the wife of the Olu came to him with the new born child. But the Olu would not bug, he answered, Oguni, “the war is tough”. The women in annoyance left and establish a throne at Aghalope. The throne became the Ukpes ruling house until the resuscitation of the Esezi ruling family in the last century. The Itsekiri claim that Aghalokpe means the throne “Aga” of Okpe. But the Okpes see it in a different light. Aghalokpes to them means were the Okpes were dispersed. This means that the coming of the Ogoni into Okpe land gave the people the political incentive to move and expand. This definitely is Kingdom building and is an aspect of traditional civilization. In the early part of the nineteenth century one of the grandsons of Oguni, Ofolaju established the Unurhie shrine at Aghalokpe which can still be seen till this day. In the words of Chief M.P. Okumagba in “A SHORT HISTORY OF THE URHOBOS”, is the most important shrine in the whole of Urhoboland. Towards the middle of the nineteenth century, Olomu established a stronghold at Ugbukurusu (canon bush) While his first cousin, Ololo established a stronghold at Obontie. Today Obontie is still Itsekiri land, while Ugbukurusu has become an Ukpe village. But it was an Itsekiri village. The people of Ugbukurusu are still staunch worshippers of Umale Okun, which they learnt from Olomu, the son of Iweroko and Asoruku. Even today, this semblance of Itsekiri, dominance can be seen among the Ukpes. For instance Unokan, Otomewo, Owumi, Abeke, Ajueyitsi, Ayomanor etc. are all prominent Okpe people bearing Itsekiri names. Today, due to the intercourse they had with the Itsekiri, the Okpes are the most law abiding, civil and tractable of all Urhobo clans. And of all the Urhobo clans, only the Okpes can boast of a semi - centralized monarchy in the throne of the Orodge, which is a rallying point of Urhobo culture and tradition. Infact, for there to be a real pan Urhobo union. The status of the Orodge needs to be raised to be the father of all other Urhobo “Ovies), including the Isoko should be demoted to be the children of the Orodge. About 1780, when the Okpes were beginning to consolidate their stand, Oguni (Ogoni) the son of Erejuwa II came and founded Aghalokpe. The place was where the Ukpes dispersed. The most important shrine in Urhobo nation, Unurhie, was established by the grandson of Ogoni the founder of Aghalokpe (Okumagba ibid). Minus Unurhie, the Okpes are staunch worshippers of Umale-Okun that Olomu and Ololo introduced to them when they founded Ugbukurusu and Aghalokpe. Many Okpes today bear Itsekiri names – Ayomanor, Abeke, Owumi etc. The Agban burial rite is done among the Itsekiri, the Okpe did it for the first time in 1949. The invitation of the spirit of the dead back home is also now being copied by the Okpes The chieftaincy attire of the Okpes are pure copies from the Itsekiri, who got the dress code when Atuwatse the first( Dom Domingos) visited Portugal in 1600 . ITSEKIRIS OWN SAPELE When Ginuwa was coming form Benin in 1472, he stopped at Ugharegin (Oghareki) then Jegbo’s descendant’s farmland as part of Efurokpe. He pegged his staff that grew to become an Iroko. As he crossed to Sapele, he met an Itsekiri man (Sapele) Apele ,who had a wife, Otsoro and a son, Ugbanghoro. These Itsekiri people at the waterside were the only people in the Sapele vicinity. They paid homage to Ginuwa, and then ran to Eghoro in the Benin River where the man became deified as Apele Juju or Sapele abija mefa. (Sapele of the six junctions.) Much later, Olomu came to Sapele and was using it as a head port to the hinterland. One Ogiegba, from Aghalokpe, was his tenant. This Ogiegba became recalcitrant and started preventing the Itsekiri from moving to the hinterland. Olomu's forces led by Sagay and Igben totally crushed Ogiegba. He was taken to Ebrohimi city in the Benin River for punishment. When he was returned, he was stationed at Amukpe (A mu Okpe) where the Okpes were arrested. Sagay and Sibogi came to Amukpe to monitor his movement. Ogieba entered a treaty to remain as tenant in Sapele and to accept the over lordship of the Itsekiris, under Olomu. The document of this treaty is still available today. Olomu’s son Nanna leased the ATP (African Timber and Plywood) to the colonial government. Nana’s sister, Ebeji, leased the Sapele general hospital, while Sagay leased the Sapele market to the colonial government. All these are signs that Itsekiri own the land. But due to fracas between the Olomu family and Olu of Warri, these vital documents were not released by the Koko community who are the historical owners of Sapele. The Okpe winning is a clear perversion and rape of justice. In those days, (before the Okpes came to Sapele) the Itsekiri were stationing regents in Sapele to check the Ijaw piracy (Ijaws have been pirates for long). Olu Akengbuwa (1797 – 1848) placed Amakatse as regent. Princess Iye (1852) placed Ibakpadodo there as regent to check the Ijaw menace. At this time, the Itsekiri and Ijaws (all watermen) were fighting for the mastery of the Sapele area, as they have resumed doing today. Concerning the Itsekiri ownership and control of Sapele, prior to the privy council ruling he said, “The house system was “par excellence, the institution of such coastal ethnic groups as the Ijos, Efiks and the Itsekiri of Sapele and Warri. (Tamuno TN: (1972) There are many historical ascendants to prove the Itsekiri ownership of Sapele. There are also judicial precedents. In the consular court for the District of old Calabar, in a case between Regina (the queen) versus Nanna Alluma held at the British consulate General tender the Africa order in council 1889, in a criminal jurisdiction give this as me of the reasons for arresting Nanna: “On the 22nd, I proceeded to Sapele and found the same thing there. I ascertained that this was the action of Nanna and his people in generally terrorizing the whole locality. While at Sapele on the 22nd Ologun, one of Nana’s headmen at Eku on the Ethiope River, passed up river in a canoe. I sent a message to him to come to me; he said he would not, that Nana would see about the matter”. THE SAPELE FAMILIES The Sapele families , or the families now laying claim to Sapele are all of stranger elements. The Abekes are from other parts of Okpe land, so are the Ayomanors. The Oghenes, the Ogodos etc are from different parts of Okpe land . A group of strangers from different places cannot just come together one day and become the founders of Sapele. It is obvious therefore, that the real owners of Sapele are the Olomu descendants union of Koko , who alone of all people have all the legal and historical documents on Sapele lands. The Okpes came at different times in the 19th century as his tenants. The Itsekiri came as people who needed to transact business with him. It is obvious therefore, that Sapele was Itsekiri land, lost due to internal division- the then conflict between the Olu and Ologbotsere families. Now the Itsekiri are ready to reclaim that land ,not resort to war , but the instrumentality of the court. And when that is done the Itsekiri will join the Yoruba region . enough of injustice! The Itsekiri were the largest single ethnic group in sapele by 1952. they much more than the Okpes , who were grouped together with the other Urhobos. The table displays it further . the Itsekiri positon that they constitute 40% of sapele population today, should be critically looked into. IBO 11,974 URHOBO 7,657 ITSEKIRI 4,825 EDO 3,335 YORUBA 2,428 ISOKO 831 IJAW 685 HAUSA 615 IBIBIO 333 NUPE 78 TIV 37 FULANI 20 OTHER NIGERIAN TRIBES 646 NON-NIGERIANS 174 Source……. Bulletin No. 9 Delta Province: Population Census, Western Region of Nigeria, 1952, p. 28. The naming of sapele Most of the settlement s in sapele in the pre 1970 era had Itsekiri names For instance the major areas in sapele : Oguanja , Ajimele, Ajogodo, Agboghoroma etc are all Itsekiri names. Most of these areas are also named by Itsekiri people. These settlements were also established by itsekiri. For example the Ikomi family is the founders of Oguanja; Arun owun belong to the Fregene family. Arun owun means where salt is manufactures, while Ogunaja means the end of the town. It was the end of the town as at when Ogiegba was under the tutelage of Sagay. Ugbukurusu was established by olomu,. It was the place olomu was keeping his canons. Elume refers to the place where the Itsekiri where having brief stops when they moved to Urhobo hinterland. Eluma was the place of boat berthing in Itsekiri. Okirigue came about as a result of the war between Olomu and Ogiegba. When the generalissimos of the war : Igben and Sagay decided to wage a war on Ogiegba, a recalcitrant tenant , some of the warriors loaded drums in their canoes as the approached the place now Okirigue one of the boats containing drums capsized. Most of the drums sank . but the particular drum called okiri did not sink hence the people exclaimed Okirigue , the okiri is floating , which has become the name of the place today. Ugborhen on the other hand was where the iron that olomu was using for the manufacture of his kurusu was kept. Olomu was a manufacturer. The area now called Uton by the Okpes was actually a short form for Uton Iyatsere. Iyatsere lived in the 17th century and he dug a canal from the boundary of Abeugborodo to very close to ATP in sapele, today. The canal is in-between Ajaojigwo and Abeugborodo. Ojigwo was a living in Aghalokpe. He left there and settled in Otigwo in Jesse, before coming to Ajaojigwo. Thence he went to Ajaalugbeke, now called Ogorode . it was Alugbeke that directed them or move to a virgin land which Ojigwo named after himself thus Ajojigwo. Ikeresan was a place with a lot of soldier ants, Ikeresen in Itsekiri language. Ugbekoko was a place where Itsekiri people were catching a type of fish called ekoko. Okpe road was formally Igbo road before the Biafran war, and the so called indigenes confisticated the houses of so many of them and maliciously changed the name of Igbo road to Okpe road – what a shame? The table above shows that our argument is true since the Igbo were in majority before the war. So what happened to them a little later. Let those who reap were they have not sown continue . nemesis is a judge! The 1943 WACA case We make bold to say the case was not finalized. Even at that it was only from Court road to the east of Sapele that was won. World hear this we challenge the Okpes to publish the WACA case before the world if our assertion is not true. OGHARA AXIS Oghara (Ughara) has two major sections in those days (Ugharegin, Oghara of staff where Ginuwa pegged his staff and Ogharefe (Ugharefin) Ughara of Efin, (bulrushes) for making mats. Ginuwa met the descendants of Jegbo at Efurokpe, and Ughara was part of that land. Jegbo lived seven centuries before Ginuwa’s time. Hence, the saying in Itsekiri – ‘before Jegbo of Efurokpe was born’; that is, very long ago. Much later in 1872, Nana decided to camp some of his slaves at Ughara. When the pressure of people are getting too much on Efurokpe land, leased to Nanna, Nanna decided to send some of the people to Oba’s land. Thus, Nanna sent some of the people to a part of Benin, where Itsekiri manatee hunters were. The place, ‘aja ese’ (Manatee town) later became Jesse. The Itsekiri and the Binis had their common boundary at Jesse. Some of these people with the Itsekiri support established metsaghan (Mosogar). EFFURUN AXIS The people of Effurun and the Ijaws of Gbaramatu were kith and kin from the present Bayelsa State. They were led by one Osako, son of Fiowei in c1830. It was in 1869 that Tsanomi, with the permission of Lenuwa descendants encamped the Ijaws at Opu- Aja as customary tenants. The people of Ekpan moved further and were encamped by the Ubejis as customary tenants. 20 years later, the Effuruns (a section of the Ekpans) moved further east and were settled as tenants by the descendants of Sansan and Etsoye in Gbolokposo. To authenticate the tenancy position of the Effuruns, Agbamu, the head chief of Effurun confessed on oath “I live at Effurun. I am Sobo (Urhobo) and head chief of Effurun - - - - - - We use to render service to the Olu. We are still servants to the descendants of Olu. They are our masters”. In SC 98/1993 reported in 1997 / 7 S.C.NJ, the lead judgment by Ogundare said: ‘the plaintiff ancestors (Gbolokposo) lived and inhabited the land (Ugbomo, Okwatata, Ogbe quarters and Okufoghore) under the over lordship of the Olu of Warri and firmly established themselves and their jujus and they lived there undisturbed. Later in time, the people of Effurun who are now neighbours of the plaintiffs (Gbolokposos) came in to settle there from Effuruntor” (Nigerian law report July 1997 pgs. 421.422. Even the Effurun National Shrine came about as a response to Itsekiri. The shrine was not establishes by the Itsekiri, it came about as a response to the Itsekiri. Hear Gregory Umukoro, ‘Prince Udefi planted his staff of office at the shrine site - - - - - The shrine was not there at first. The staff of office was what grew into a tree. The tree on its own was not harmful, but a time came when the present Uvwie people decided to remove the tree by cutting it down to erase the landmark of the owner. Every attempt met with terrible supernatural resistance from the tree resulting in the people’s death. So they had no choice, but to deify the tree. The result of this ‘egior’ Uvwie festival in which human heads are used. (Umukoro 1997). So it is evident that the Uvwies are no clan, but tenants on Warri land. They never possessed a kingdom, hence all the wrangling to elect a new Ovie of Uvwie. ALADJA: Aladja (not the whole of Udu, only Aladja) was part of Warri kingdom. It was a place where the Olus normally served the earth deity (ale aja). The town served also as a beach head for the Olus of Warri, - this was before the Urhobos entered there from different parts of Udu clan. The Olu leased all the lands of Alajda to the Europeans. The people of Aladja, Effurun, Ogbe- Ijoh Gbaramatu etc settled in parts of Warri kingdom (Itsekiri land) in the nineteenth century. IDIMI SOBO This group of Urhobos came to Okere during the reign of Arukuneyi. One lady among them married Arukuneyi and brought his brothers, Idama, sowhoruvwe, Itifo etc. They were housed by the Okere people. Okere Urhobo kingdom is a fallacy. To show that the Urhobos of Okere came to Warri in the early nineteenth century, Oki the son of one of the primal ancestors who came from Okpari, died in 1906. it is then obvious that his father could not be more than 80years older than him. If that is true, his father, a founding father, would have come to Warri c1840. the Delta State government might support such hypothetical kingdoms because they are used to illegalities. Of recent (the vanguard of 9th September 2004) Delta government official confessed that most of the boys fighting in the Warri crisis are Ijaws form Rivers and Bayelsa. Govt. officials confessed that Warri corner and most Itsekiri property were occupied by rivers and Bayelsa. It is these people that made the Ijaws to he more than the Itsekiri in the present day ID Card registration. AGBASSAS- The Agbassas came to Warri from Agbarha about 1840, when Akengbuwa (seventeenth Olu of Warri) was reigning. Their duty was to cut grass and do odd jobs when Itsekiri chiefs died. IDIMI-SOBO According to walker Omatsone, “the Urhobos who occupy Idimi-Sobo in Okere to day, strayed into Okere at the time of Arukunegi the fourther Olare- Aja of Okere. One of Arukuneji’s wives was Idiboye, an Urhobo woman from Okapre in Olomu clan, in the present day Ughelli South local Government area of Delta State. Idiboye was the daughter of one Okpeki, an Okpare man, who was also the father of Sohworuwe, Owlotenu, Itifo and Idiama who was the youngest. Ownotnu, Itifo and Idama led a band of Olomu people on their way to Ugbokodo, the hometown of their mother. They were running through Okere to Ugbokodo, they met Idiboye, their sister, who appealed to her husband, Arukuney, to allow the immigrats stay in Okere. This was how Ohwotemu, Itifo and Idama came back and did not continue their flight to Ugbokodo. Other Urhobos from other villages like Okpaka, Ovevian, Effurun etc joined them at various times later”. (culled from Rev. Umukoro’s report to the Federal Government concerning the Warri war. Umukuro is a complete Urhobo not at all related to the Itsekiri) The Urhobos of Idimi-Sobo have been living peacefully at a part of Okere as there customary tenants. This cordial relationship of master tenant relationship was broken when some members of the Itsekiri aristocracy who wanted the monies of Hussey College to themselves, recruited one Okumahbon Eboh, their erstiohile tenant, to pretend as if he sold a land to them. The deed of this illegal deal was then given to Okumaja who by then, due to his relationship with the Itsekiri was secretary to Okere community. This is not strange Okumogba’s mother is Itsekiri and even still today many Itsekiri leaders are only maternally Itsekiri. Some of these leaders are Allison Ayida, Franklin Atake, Oti Adams, kofi Kartey, Professor Grace Alele Williams among others. The present Warri sociat youth leader supported by some Itsekiri aristocracy is himself paternally Urhobo from Ughara. And in Sapele the foremost Itsekiri youth leader, Michael Daden (Ejele) is paternally an Ukpe-Urhobo. He is right now warming up to be the chairman of Warri North Local Government, and an Itsekiri non-registered party (Warri Democratic Front) is solidly behind him. Thus, in the same way with all these people Okumagba became the secretary of Okere community. It is good to emphasize here that Itsekiri community is not totally patri-local, although it is matrilineal, but one can get equal rights from his mothers family as he would get from his fathers family. Infact one can even became a Warri chief by inheriting from his mother’s family. Okumagba signed the paper in his personal capacity and not as a representative of the Okere community later in time, there was confusion among a section of the Itsekiri aristocracy that did the deal with Okumagba Eboh. The bereaved faction that was sidetracked in the monies of Hussey College prompted Okumagba Eboh to institute a case so that none of them can have the goodies. With the encouragement he decide to make the case. He died soon later (1963) and it was his son, Daniel that took up the case, which he won 1968, in the high court and was later, referred by the Supreme Court, 1976. It is good to mention here that the Olu’s over lordship rights never extended to Okere until 1989. This can easily be explained by accident of history. The founder of Okere, Ekpen. Whose descendant also helped the Binis to capture Lagos, was a warrior sent to retrieve Ginuwa and the sons of 70 Binis chiefs, who went with him to found his kingdom. Bit failing to fulfill his mission, he decided to stay at Okere Warri but has rebelled against the Olu’s authority. This spirit of rebellion continued with his descendants till, 1989, when they accepted Olu’s overlord ship. The people of Okere were the only Itsekiri that weren’t under Olu’s over lordship. Ikaye and his descendants were living at the Oba’s land yet they still paid homage to the Olu. The new postures of the Ogborodos (their Egharaja and Olajoris) are all false. Those institutions actually existed as chief priests but not as parallel kings. When Landolphe wanted to build a faletry at Ugborodo in 1797 it was the Olu that leased a plot of land to the Frenchman at Ugborodo. If there were parallel kings there, the king would have been the one to lease land, not the Olu living about 160 kilometres from Ugborodo. Thus, only the Okere people were independent of Olu’s over lordship. What the Ugborodos can claim can at worst be the head of a family that reports to the Olu of Warri. It is however desirable to say here that the people of Ugborodo arrived their destination more than 1000 years before then! It is due to the peculiarity of the Okere people that in suit no/SC 309/74, the learned trial judge confirmed that the Olu’s over lordship never extended to Okere. The Olu’s over lordship never extended to Okere doesn’t mean that Okere is not part of Itsekiri land. It is part of Itsekiri land that refused the Olu’s over lordship rights. Oki, Olodi and Ighogbatu families were absorbed into Itsekiri culture as can be seen in the popular Okumagba family, where all his children bear Itsekiri names. Some of the names of people in the Okumagba family are 1. Okumagba, a corruption of Akumagba, a deviant 2. Eroaye (He is indifferent to kindness) 3. Ogeofoetsoghor (wisdom is not wealth ) All these names being Itsekiri. (Culled from Rev. Umukoro). The Itsekiri of Okere lost the possessor title to the land, which is only 281. I acres in Okere due to the greed of some Itsekiri chiefs who want Hussey College for themselves rather than for the good of the Itsekiri. The Supreme Court said in suit no/SC 309/74 “The socio-cultural corporation as the evidence shows, did not being stopped by the dependents (Idimi-Sobos), go to the chief and people of Okere through Okumagba or may other member of the dependants earlier applied for and got land from the dependants”. In order not to let the Itsekiri of Okere know about the land and school so as to embezzle the money themselves they allowed Okumgba an absorbed stranger to flakily sign a document for them which the Urhobos in Okere used in wining possessor right in the Supreme Court. To prove that the Idimi-Sobo belonged to the Itsekiri we turn to the judgment of his lordship, William Roland Awunor-Renner (W/14/1942) “It is not disputed that the land belongs to the Ogitsi family”. Since 1989 that the Okere people accepted Olus over lordship rights, the Idimi-Sobos- a constituent part of, Okere- are also covered by Olu’s over lordship rights. The so called Okere- Urhobo clan is therefore, a hoax, because Oki, although with Urhobo blood is Itsekiri and an Itsekiri leader and he identified himself as such. Ighogbadu and Olodi were his brothers in law. In suit no/SC/309/74 ownership or radical title was not granted to the Okere Urhobos, hear it”. “The averment in the plaintiffs amended statement of claim and evidence adduced in support showed clearly that the claim was based partly on and partly on acts of ownership. The averment in the defendants statement of defense and the evidence given by the in support, gave a complete different version of the traditional also testified as to their acts of ownership of the land in dispute. It must be pointed out at this stage that the defendants are not counter claim for title to land”. Minus the fact that the land case was won on possessory title rather than complete radical title like the one won by the people of Gbolokposo, it was also a rape of justice. This is because both Idudun (who stood for the Itsekiri) was paternally an Urhobo. And Daniel Okumagba who stood for the Urhobos was an Urhobo. There is sure to have been a conspiracy between Idudun and Daniel. Infact both of them are from the same family in the same sub sect of Idimi-Sobo in Okere. How can two people both Urhobos, both from Idimi-Sobo claim to be making a case between Urhobo and Itsekiri? That is to say the man Idudun being from Idimi-Sobo had no locus- stand on the Ogitsi or Ekpen family case. The paternal grandfather of Idudun was Ologho; the paternal grandfather of Daniel was Olodi. Olodi and Ologho had the same father Idama, and the same mother. In actual fact Idudun was an uncle (a father’s generation) to Daniel. Then it becomes a case of an uncle and his nephew standing at different sides pretending to litigate with each other while in reality both have conspired to steal Itsekiri land. This indeed is a rape of justice1 In 1992, the Okumagba family attempted to sue for radical title they failed. Justice Obi in M51/92 delivered judgment in favour of the Itsekiri. To buttress this fact the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs memo No/CH 545 pg 70 of 12th September 1977 reads: “There is no record whatever in the office about a Clan of Okere-Urhobo and a demand for recognition of such a clan Head, if any, the partridges. Report makes no mention of any Okere (Urhobo) clan Head in Warri Division - - - problems - - as to the identification of the title and customary procedure (if any) for filling the vacancy also arise”. Even Urhobo historians have asserted that there is no clan or kingdom in Okere-Urhobo hear Onigu Otite an Urhobo professor of the humanities “Agbarheo Ame, corrupted for Agbass) is a gerontocracy (rule by the aged) with two main levels of government, the town and the total political community. The highest government and political institution in Agbara-Ame is the Edio”. (Urhobo people chapter 21 Pg 200). Even in the celebrated case of Okumagba, the issue of a clan or kingdom head never arose Hear Daniel Okumagba in the high court presided by Ekeruche 1968 “the Itsekiri block made up an Okere Urhobo clan of kingdom, and the “Okere consists of two blocks, namely, the Itsekiri block made up of the descendants of Ogitsi, and the Urhobo block made up of the descendants of Idama, Ohotemu and Sowhoruvwe and their relations. There are three quarters in Urhobo block and they are referred to as Idumu-Urhobo. The two blocks or communities had their different independent local government; and the head of the local government for the Urhobo section is Okpako-Orere. The Okpako-Orere is always the oldest living male amongst the descendants of Idama, Owhotemu or Sowhoruvwe and he ruled with the assistance of the elder of the three families”. We see therefore that like the Agbassas, the Okere-Urhobo are also ruled by a government of gerontocracy rather than a king or even a clan head. At Pg 147 of W/48/68, the learned trial judge said. “The defendants said just as the Itsekiri have their leader in Olaraja, they in Urhobo block have their leader who is called Okpako-Orere and that this Okpako-Orere is the oldest male member alive of the defendants community”. It is clear therefore, that there is no clan or kingdom of Okere-Urhobo only a block; and this block was ruled by the oldest surviving male, not a king and definitely not a clan head- Idimi-Sobo was just a block. The Okere-Urhobo have claimed to have being in Warri for over 600 years. This also cannot be true. This is because Olomu clan from whence Idama, Itifo, Ejiyer etc left to Okere was founded by Igbozue who they claimed to be grandson of Oba Orohogbuna of Benin. Both Hub bard, in “SOBO of the Niger Delta”; and M.P OKUMAGAB, in “A SHORT HISTORY OF URRHOBO”, accept 1645 as the founding date of Olomu clan. Idama and his brothers could not have left Olomu 200 years before the founding of Olomu itself. Except they want to feed us with a cock and bull story. The clan existed for some time before Okpari a village was formed; and Okpari developed for some time before the civil war that drove them from their fatherland. Thus, it is evident that the people (Urhobo) of Okere came to Okere about 1800 when Arukuneyi (the fourth popular Olaraja of Okere, for there were many unpopular ones before him) gave them land to stay in. If it is considered that Oki died in 1907. Oki was a direct son of Ejiyere, one of the founders of the Urhobo block. If it is even assumed that Oki lived up to the ripe old age of 80. He would be born in 1827. If one considers that his father would be 30 or thereabout when he was born, then his father would have been born in 1793. That means Okis father Ejiyere, could not have come to Warri before 1800 or even 1820. Because Ejiyere could not leave his community as a baby and come to Warri so it will be more likely that the people (Urhobo) of Okere came to Okere in about 1810-1820. While the Itsekiri have been there since about (1490). The date of 1810-1820 will then be unable because according to Omatsone, the Okere-Urhobo came to Warri area before the Effuruns or the Aladga (Ale-aja) now a constituent part of Ovwian clan. There are many historical proofs to show that the Urhobo are stranger elements in Okere. Brad bury in “THE BENIN KINGDOM AND THE EDO SPEAKING PEOPLES OF SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA (Pg 180 says: “Okere was founded by a part of the Benin army sent against Prince Ginuwa. Hub bard another historian said in his book, “THE SOBO OF THE NIGER DELTA” (pages 677) that “in the sixteenth century, the Portuguese penetrated up the Warri River as far as the present site of Warri - - the Jekri (Itsekiri) living in the villages of Okere and Ugbwangue came to meet the Portuguese”. By then the Urhobos were nowhere to be found in the present Warri metropolis. It is evident that had Okumagba a good case, he would have appealed to a higher court having failed woefully in suit no. M/51/92. This he has declined to do, and with the support of his Urhobo brothers in the Delta State Government, he has illegally constituted a “traditional system in Idim-Sobo where hitherto, the eldest man in the community ruled. On the 19th of August 1891, Consul General and Commissioner Claude MacDonald visited Warri and found that Warri chiefs were Itsekiri under Nanna son of Olomu, grandson of Iweroko. Popo and Awani were the chiefs in Okere (both of them Itsekiri). There is no record anywhere in the world about an Urhobo clan in Okere much less a kingdom. AGBASSA-URHOBOS The people of Agbassas came form Agbarhator near Ughelli, after a war that ravaged Agbarha-ttor in the later part of the 18th century about (1790). They did not come straight to Warri. They reached Warri about 1840 during the last years of Olu Akengbuwa’s reign. The section that received the greater casualty came to the Olu (Akengbuwa, 16th Olu of Warri) who squatted them at Agbassa. Their duty was to cut grass and to other odd jobs when the Olus or Warri chiefs die. The Olu seeing how unimportant these people were decided to settle them in the evil forest (Ubumale) Bomali in the corrupted Urhobo form. Unlike the Urhobos in Idimi-Sobo, the Urhobos of Agbassa have been fomenting trouble since 1925. Courts of competent jurisdiction have declared them as customary tenants since that year. Suits no/SSC 67/1971, and SC 327/1972 etc declare the Urhobos of Agbassa as customary tenants of the Olu. The Itsekiri at a time controlled trade in all areas occupied by the Urhobos, where they later introduced the cassava plant to the Urhobo. Barbot visited Warri in 1678 and 1682 and commented that the cassava plant was in possession of the Itsekiri. The Itsekiri living by their wits rather than their strength used their neighbours to work the land for them. Concerning the barbaric master-slave relationship of the Urhobo and Itsekiri Ling Roth quoting Galway says. “Among the Jekries, domestic slavery is in existence, most of the slaves being bought from the neighboring Sobo tribe. The value of A full grown man is About ten pounds. The Jekries are free men and do not work. Domestic slavery as it exists in the Jekri country has many points in its favour. There is really very little difference between the lot of a good and a free man, except that the Forman works while the later does not. They are housed and fed by their masters, and are given positions of trust and in many cases they rise to be masters themselves; as in the case of late king Jaja of Opobo, who was originally a slave - - - The Sobos do not keep slaves but are bought as such by the Benin and Jekri people”. 22 In the course of commercial activity, being great water men, the Itsekiri opened up most of Urhobo land to civilization, hear R.B Kerr: “The Itsekiri are a race of watermen and commanded the Ethope, Jamieson and Ajajube rivers far beyond Itsekiri country proper. This had led to series of water linked (linking) Itsekiri settlements among the Sobo clan”. 23 The water religion of Ode-v spread to most parts of Urhobo land. And the Isokos, when their people die, they would say he has paddled his boat to the great beyond passing through Irhobo (Ode- Itsekiri). Till this day, most Urhobos still bear Itsekiri names such as Otomewo, Unokan, Aboneje, Naima, Oghanranduken, and Okumagba etc. Even the exalted title of the Urhobos (Olorogun) is a corruption of (Oloriogun) head war man in Itsekiri-Yoruba. THE IJAWS The history of the Ijaws like the history of many peoples in Nigeria, cannot be given with any measure of authenticity, but one thing is certain: Most Ijaw clans are either formed by the Itsekiri, or they have a lot of civilizing influence from the Itsekiri. G.I. Jones in his book “THE TRADING STATES OF THE OIL RIVERS (A STUDY OF POLITICAL DEVELOPENT IN EASTERN NIGERIA”, says in page 29. “The Delta traditions of origin give a broad and generalized picture of a movement of Ijo peoples from the Benin, Abon hinterland into the heart of the Delta, possibly of a succession of movements, THE IJAWS Almost all Ijaw clans from Arogbo in the West to Okrika in the East were civilized by the Itsekiri. Now Hear the authorities: Jones says: “The Delta traditions of origin gave a broad and generalized picture of a movement of Ijo people from the Benin, Aboh hinterland into the heart of Delta, possibly of a succession of movements, the first being the “Tubatoro” dispersal in the north of Delta referred to in the Azuogu tradition, the second being the Mein and Obiama and similar expansions into the present Ramos and Forcados division and the third being the Iselema (Itsekiri) movement (G.I JONES) Corroborating this, Ifemesia says “Both Nembe and Western Ijo tradition trace the migration of groups from as well as connections with the Itsekiri (Iselema) usually referred to in traditions as Benin, apparently because of the Itsekiri tradition of Benin origin” (Ifemesa 1978). Alagoa says on this issue, “The traditions suggest that the political influence and prestige of the kingdoms of Benin, Warri and Aboh reached the Ijaw peoples of the Niger Delta”. (Alagoa 1972). Alagoa affirmed further, “Other groups in the western Delta, the Urhobo, and especially the Itsekiri kingdom of Warri also exercised influence, although ethnically different on the Ijaw kingdoms of the eastern delta (Alagon 1971). Alagoa went further,” There are however traditions of settlements of small groups of Itsekiri (Iselema in Ijo accounts) at Ukubie in the Bassan area of the central delta, Liama, Nembe and at Orusengana in the Kalabari area. The Itsekiri are associated with religious innovations in several of these places. At Liama in the Nembe kingdom, certain words are supposed to be spoken in a language believed to be Itsekiri during certain rituals. Similarly, at Soku in Kalabari, the words of particular religious songs are believed to represent those used by Itsekiri captives”. (Alagoa 1971). The Itsekiri captives would refer to pawned neighbours in the hands of Itsekiri. Now, we analyzed the clans one after the other: NEMBE: This city state was about the most developed among the Ijaws or Nembe, Alagoa says, “The Itsekiri migrants were apparently a war party from the kingdom of Warri, which has lost a prince. The members subsequently stole back and removed their property and relations by night and escaped with the male god of the kingdom. They were guided to Nembe by the Ada of the war god, which they threw every once in a while until it stood erect at Ogilolo creek in Oromabiri. The name Ogidigan by which the god came to be known at Nembe is generally said to have been the name of the priest who came with it. Other leaders in the party are supposed to have given their names to the new settlements of Oromabiri, Onyoma and Ekesetubu” (Alagoa 1971). With the arrival of the Itsekiri migrants, the Nembe ruler was changed form a purely religious leader to that with political authority. Hear Alagoa on this, “Finally, a number of royal refugee from the Itsekiri kingdom of Warri (Iselama arrived about 1460). This incident may have begin the process of change from a religious leader to one with political authority; although a religious basis for the leadership of Nembe over the other towns of the Ibe may have been laid about this time. thus, Ogidiga brought by the Itsekiri, became the national god of the entire area, the gods of the other towns being conceived of as sons and daughters, or wives of Ogidigan (Agidigan) Alagoa 1971). The date, 1460, presupposes an earlier dynasty - the dynasty of the Olu of Irigbo in Ode – Itsekiri (Big Warri). The name, Ogidigan, (Agidigan an Itsekiri male deity taken to Nembe) was the title that the Korobe people of Koko and the people of Ureju gave to Oba Ewuare Ewuare – according to Itsekiri legends – got his power after serving Umale-Okun (Olu-Okun) god of the sea at Ureju and Koko. AROGBO When the last Olu of Irigbo, saw that the Ginuwa group had come, he ran and joined his neighbours the Ilaje Yorubas. He occupied Arogbo land. His associate, the chief priest of Olagwe (Alagwe), according to Ling Roth joined him. It was about three hundred years later that the Arogbos came from present Bayelsa and settled there by the permission of the Ilaje and Itsekiri, the descendants of Oduduwa. OROMABIRI – Oromabiri was founded by Oro, an Itsekiri prince. Onyoma and Ekesetubu were founded by his followers. The god of Oromabiri (Ogidika) like Ogidigan of Nembe or Gbasala of Ubeji accepts dogs as sacrifices. OLOIBIRI AND IDUWINI Oloibiri was founded by Itsekiri nobility – Ilobiri. Iduwini was founded by his adopted son Idowono (Idoghono). BASSAN – This clan was founded by the Itsekiri. Now hear Alagoa, “The fact of early religious and cultural influences in the central and eastern delta has already been suggested by the traditions of migrations. But Bassan traditions concerning their salt industry state that they bought the clay pots from the Itsekiri “(Alagoa 1972). Commenting further, Alagoa says, “The founder of Ukubie on the other hand came from the Itsekiri kingdom of Warri in the western Delta, and first lived among the Lubia. They later formed their own settlement at Ukubie and have retained traditions of their Iselema (Itsekiri) origin. Alagoa 1972). KALABARI: These people got both material and religious civilization from the Itsekiri. Now hear Alagoa, “It is doubtful if the pots and farina were traded across the delta by Itsekiri traders alone. In the Kalabari area to the east of Nembe, traditions attest to Itsekiri traders carrying farina or ifenia. But at Nembe, the regular suppliers were Bassan traders from the central delta, apparently as middlemen. Bassan traditions also suggest that they went into Itsekiri country to buy pots for their salt industry”. Alagoa 1972. The Kalabari, especially those from Soku and Orusangama, use Itsekiri words in their water religion. They worship the Itsekiri god, Adumu. They have the Opu-Adumu (Big Adumu) and the Ojoye- Adumu (Royal Adumu). This Adumu masquerade became copied by the Okirika as Odum. The Okrika, according to Alagoa, had not settled in their present geopolity by 1500. MEIN IJAWS: These people were defeated by Olu Erejuwa II in the eighteenth century. The defeat was led by one Imi, when the Ijaws refused to pay their annual tributes. They were defeated at the river Niger around Patani. IJAWS OF THE FORCADOS AREA: OGULA, BURUTU, ODIMODI, RIVERS RAMOS DOWN TO DODO This area was part and parcel of the Warri kingdom. The Ijaws came here about 1860 or there about. The name, Ogula, is derived form the Itsekiri (Ogunla).It is a reminiscence of the war he fought in Ode-Itsekiri before he took of on his umale-Oluna (flying saucers). Burutu was derived from the Itsekiri (Oboghoro – Otu) a beach of Bulrushes for making mats. Forcados is derived from Afikadosin, an eagle has passed left. A reminiscence of the war fought by Olomu and Sagay on the Aghoro Ijaws of Tarikeiri-Ibe .The captives were squatted at Forcados. To prove that the Itsekiri are the legal and historical owners of these places, where they squatted the Ijaws as customary tenants, they entered a treaty with the Europeans covering these lands. Hear the treaty. ‘I hereby certify that according to the terms of a treaty concluded by me , acting on behalf of her majesty, THEQUEEN OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND &C and the Head and other chiefs of JEKRI COUNTRY ,the gracious favour and protection of her BRITTANIC MAJESTY have been extended to the people and country at both banks of the FORCADOS River ,the chiefs of which have in the presence of myself and others acknowledged themselves and their country to be under JEKRI Jurisdiction and Authority . Given on board the British steamship “DODO” anchored in the FORCADOS this 6th day of august 1884 (SGD) EDWARD HYDE HEWETT, HER BRITTANNIC MAJESTY’S CONSUL FOR THE BIGHTS OF BENIN AND BIAFRA AND & C’ Now, hear the authorities Obaro Ikime says: “At one of the town of the Escravos river, the Ijaw who inhabit it claimed according to Hewett, that they acknowledged Tsanomi as their ruler. They were then informed about the treaty of 16th July which Tsanomi, Nana and others were signatories and warned, under the pain of severe punishment by governor Nana, not to enter into a treaty with any other European power. At Burutu and “Goolah” and other towns along the Forcados, Ramos and Dodo, Hewett reported that the people though Ijo, acknowledge the fact that they were subjected to Nana and were consequently made to understand that the Itsekiri protection treaty was binding on them.” (Ikime 1969). Hear Alagon on Ogula: “The possibility of early Itsekiri movement through the area together with the activity of Benin merchants implied by the Portuguese records may account for the points at which Ogula institutions differ from those of other Ijo-Ibe of the Western Delta. It has been noted, for example that the name Olukumieyin, of the national god stated to have been brought by the ancestor, Ogula is not Ijo and its meaning unknown to Ogulaha Ijos” Alagoa 1971. Olukumueyin means my friend from behind in Itsekiri. Thus the whole Ijaw from Burutu to Ekeremu LGA of Bayelsa are Itsekiri tenants. This is likely to be true because , the oral traditions authenticate it further. According to goth Ijaw and Itsekiri traditions,Ginuwa - in his historic journey- never met the Ijaws in the Warri area. Ginuwa met the Ijaws in the Rivers Ramos and Dodo areas. It was in this area that he met the woman, Derumo . he interacted with the Ijaws at the Rivers ramos and Dodo. The prince met Itsekiri speaking people at Efurokpe, Ureju, Ijala, Gbolokposo, Omadino, Ogheye, etc.,in the ancient warri kingdom.Ginuwa was made to serve Umale-okun in several of these places by the aboriginal Itsekiri. Since the traditions did not notice Ijaws in the Benin Escravos and Forcados rivers, at the time of Ginuwa c1480, the traditions tally with Alagoas and Pereiras records that the Ijaws were nowhere to be found in the Warri kingdom by 1500. BONNY On this, Leonard says, “Ogidigan the brass (Nembe) and Ekiba, the Bonny god, are brothers, having being somehow related in spirit land” Warri is referred to as the spiritual land of Ogidigan, the Nembe chief deity. Needless to repeat ourselves here, the Ijaws in Warri are all tenants of the Itsekiri. THE IJAWS IN WARRI: EGBEOMA GBARAMATU, ISABA AND OGBE- IJAW Most Ijaws were civilized by the religions expansive motives of the Itsekiri. But these groups of Ijaws together with those in the river Forcados area left their homeland to settle in Iwere kind. That is to say the Land Rivers and even resources these people have are directly under the Olus over lordship rights, just how Igbo properties in Kano or Benin are under the Emir of Kano or the Oba of Benin. These group of Ijaws therefore, are completely strangers in the land in which they occupy. Their real homes are in Bayelsa state. Until very recently (1960) and the Ijaws of Adagbrassa and Satoagbene paid rent even till (1980) they paid land rent to the Itsekiri to acknowledge this fact. Perhaps the end use act of March 1978 might have instigated them to dream of loftily of landlord’s in. Does the land use act dispossess the original owners of their god given land to be swallowed by stranger elements? It is important here to note that the subtopic used is (Ijaws in Warri) not (of Warri) for in reality they are in Warri and not indigenous of Warri like how the Urhobos in Sokoto are not indigenous to Sokoto. These people will be one after the other analyzed will be analyzed. ISABA AND OGBE IJAW: The Ijaws in Isaba and Ogbe- Ijaw are said to have migrated from a settlement, Ekerenor (Okerenmu) now in Bayelsa State. Their fund father was one Ewein from that area. The Olu, Akengbuwa (16th Olu in the Ginuwa dynasty 1795-1848) gave them a portion of land to stay on. Thus, the settlement because known as Ogbe-Ijaw (Ijoh quarters the place was originally a fishing camp where the Ijaws stayed seasonally and returned to Bayelsa state, before they decided to make a per market abide there in the 1940s. About the same time (1820s) when the people of Ogbe - Ijaws were settled, a group of Urhobos, the Aladja people came and they were also settled the Olu, Akengbuwa in a part of Warri kingdom. Aladja was he corruption of (Ale-Aja) where the Olus worshipped the earth deity. From 1934 till date the people in Aladja and the people in Ogbe Ijaw have been scrambling over Warri lands in 1995, there was a bloody duel between Ogbe Ijaws and Aladja: the Aladjans employed military tactics and Ogbe-Ijaw was completely sacked. In 1934, Aya on behalf of Aladjans as plaintiffs slugged it out with the people of Isaba, represented by Domokoromo and Okoro as defendants. The Aladjans claimed that they own the land occupied by the Ijaws. But the testimony of the Ijaws after swearing on oath confirmed the Itsekiri position that both Aladja and Ogbe- Ijaw belonged to Itsekiri. Hears Domokoromo. “When they (ancestors) came to the area the land were unoccupied. I said my people saw no one in the land where we are on now. They were at big Warri. The Olu of Jekri gave us the land we are on now, but he made no restriction he just gave us the land we are on now, The Olu will know to whom He gave the land. I know the German Factory. It is on the Warri River. The Olu gave that land There to Ogbe- Sibo (Aladja people) Suit no, B/10/1934. Justice Barthey found no difficulty in passing judgment in favour of the Isabas who acknowledged Olus over lordship rights. The defendants were able to buttress their case by providing a lease to the German company signed by the chiefs of Ogbe-Sibo and Dore Numa, the Paramount chief in Warri and Olu representative. This shows the Olu had interest in both Ogbe-Sibo (Aladja and Isaba). The statement of Domokoromo is even more convincing where one realized the fact that the Itsekiri were not a party to the legal suit the dependants fourth witness, Omisikuta said on oath. “When my ancestors got to Saba, there was no one living there. When they arrived, the Olu of Jekir (Warri) owned the country and they went to give themselves to him. When I say they gave themselves to the Olu, I mean that they went to him as he was the big man of the area, and the people gave themselves to him as this was the custom in those days for protection.” (suit no B/10/1934) The people of Ogbe- Ijaws seem to be the most backward and “tradition” bound of all Ijaws. To the dismay of most Observers these people seem not to have produced any University graduate until1985. In suit no 10/116/56 the Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh brought an action agents the Olu laying claims to most parts of Warri land, and they lost. In April 1965, the Ijaws headed by Oloiki appealed to the Supreme Court and the case was through out for lack of evidence. See suit no, SC/450/65 so the case between the Itsekiri and the Ijaws of Ogbe- Ijaw was decided by an order of court forever barring the Ijaws from re-opening the case. From the confessional statement of Drniskuta and Doromkoromo, on thing is certain: the Olu is supreme in his Domain. This supremacy is seen in the way and manner in which the Olu deals with his land. All Itsekiri or strangers in Warri and any part of the Kingdom have only possessing rights to land and rivers no family- save Ekpen family- could lease land or river without the express permission of the Olu. The Olu in actuality is the real owner of the land unlike other traditional rulers that hold the land in trust for the people. In the whole of he west coast of Africa, it is only the Oba of Benin, the Olu of Warri and the king of the fantis that have this peculiar- crowned owned lands-type of land tenure system see justice Ollenu of Ghana (1971) Journal of Africa law page 140. Thus “we gave ourselves to him” not to the Itsekiri, but to the Olu, is very Illustrative of this fact. EGBEOMA These tenants are shared between Benin and Warri Kingdoms. Their foremost villages Ajakurama and Ofunama have been adjudged tenants of the Oba of Benin. Early in 2001 AD the Edo State Government bar them, being tenants from instituting an illegal kingship. The Egbeoma Ijaws hide in such settlements as Gelegele, Ajakua Ogboinbiri, Ikason (Elenioan), where the Itsekiri settlers pm Benin land granted the Ijawa stay: that is to say, they are even a second rate tenant at Ikason (Ekenwan). In Warri, they are to be friend in Adagbrassa, Opnama, Tsekelewu, etc. but in recent times, Tsekiluwu has ban, fluctuating between Ondo and Warri Kingdom. The Ijaws of this area migrate from Amatu (a town fluctuating between the southern part of Burutu L.G.C. in Delta and Ekerenor L.G.C. in Bayelsa). They first settled in Ofunama, where they people other settlement such as Gelegele and Opuama. Very recently in the 1960s , they came to Adaybrassa near Ebrohimi and about 1976, they encamped at Satoagbene, a little bog fishing camp in the tidal waves. R.B Kerr admitted that the ancestor of the people of Opuama and Tsekelwu, one Oloduwa sought the permission of Olu Akerybuwa to settle on Warri can. These Ijaws having being declared as customary tenants to the Oba of Benin in their foremost settlement of Ofunama, have ban very careful not to citigiat with the Olu of Warri, a divine monorch like the Oba of Benin. Concerning Egbeoma people in Opuana and Tsekelewu in the present Warri North local Government Area, the Ologbotsere, Chief O. N Rewane said on the telegraph of September 29th 1985 “The part of Egbema in Warri L.G. area have not disputed the over lordship of the Olu of Warri. However, in the recent case of Ifie family and the people of Opuama, their status as customary tenants was established” 39 In these days the Olu appointed three Chiefs in Egbeoma area Olusn (the Olu is good), the Oluejeyebaje (the Olu doesn’t allow the world to go bad), and a third with an Ijaw appellation. The Olu showed gifts such as corals, gold etc on his faithful tenants. But times change and with it the ways of man. Between 1995 and 1998, cajoled by INC (Izon National Council) to seek landlordism, the Egbemas have become the most antagonistic Ijaw subgroup against Olu over lordship. The word Egbeoma is derided from two Itsekiri words: Egbe (rank) and Oma (children). Thus, it meant the rank of children. The Itsekiri therefore, see it as their God given mission to protect, educate and nurture these settler “children” to manhood. This they achieved by political tutelage, social and even religious nurturing of the Ijaws of Egbeoma, a most peace loving people, until they were cajoled by the duo of INC and UPUC Urhobo progress Union using the Delta State Government as a spring board for attack. The Egbeoma could excommunicate themselves from the socio-cultural corporation (INC) and work closely with the Itsekiri, whose language they are a master of, with the attendant benefits of years gone bye. GBARAMATU: these group of Warri tenants are only to be found in the newly created controversially made by Delta State Government Warri South West local government area. They migrated from a warring community from some where in present Bayelsa state. They migrated together with the people of Ekpan and Effurun. They first settle with their leader Osako, the son of Fiowei at Opu-Aja otherwise called Uton- Iman- Osako was settled by Tsanomi who took permission from the descendants of hanuwa Obaode who had lived in that area for far more than a Millennium. The Cabaramatu- Ijaws later settled at Okerenghigho, Ajatiton, Bakokodie, Omidudun, Ogobe and Kunukunuma. The word Gbaramatu is derived from the Itsekiri (Gbaramotu) get close to friends. The Ijaws were happy although declared tenants, they have Gbara motued (gotten close to friends) rather them stay with their hostile neighbors in Bayelsa state. In suit nos 10/29/51, WACA No/ 3707, W/37161 and SC/393/64, the whole of Gbaramatu Ijaws enhances (not clan, for tenants constitute clans) were declared customary tenants to Omodino- Yorubas, under the radical title and permanent over lordship of the Olu of Warri Elias CJN, Sowenurno and Ibekwe SCJJ in suit no, SC 37/9173, were the Ijaws were reduced to regular rent paying customary tenants. From the above, it is evident that all religious innovations to Ijaws lands are brought by the Warri-Yorubas (Itsekiri). Secondly, many Ijaws got most of their utensils from the Warri kingdom. Thirdly, a large chunk of the Ijaws population, from the Benin River to the River Ramos and Dido are still physically living within Ooduas land (Warri-Yorubas). It is to obliterate these facts to history, which the INC collaborated with the U.P.U. together with the Delta State government to annihilate the Itsekiri. In the swooping attack almost all Itsekiri land was burnt, artifacts worth billions of Naira were carted away and important documents were either burnt or carted away. The quote above shows that the Iteskiri beats at the River Forcados was exported as far as Sao Thoma and the present Republic of Ghana. The Portuguese boats carried a lot of Itsekiri men in their boats that served as crew men in this lucrative trade. This shows that Ode-Itsekiri in the Frocados is the farmed headquarters of the Kingdom of Atlantis, the legendary civilization before Egypt. This is because the authorities on Atlantis commented on the Atlantean precious stones, that spread from Atlantis to all parts beads got from the present Warri Kingdom gives Variety the assertion of the Atlantologists. Talbot said later, questing and even earlier write: “Five leagues up the forcados river there is a trade in slaves, cotton cloths, palm oil leopard skins and blue beads with red lines which the CONCLUSION The Itsekiri were able to carry on these civilizing missions because of the Oduduwan blood in them. References ADE OBAYEMI (1976) “THE YORUBA AND EDO SPEAKING PEOPLES AND THEIR NEIGHBOURS”, BEFORE 1600”, published in HISTORY OF WEST AFRICA Ed by Ajayi and Crowder, volume one page 196 – 263 Longman New York. . Thurstan Shaw (1976) “The prehistory of West Africa” published in “A HISTORY OF WEST AFRICA, volume one Longman New York. Pg. 33 – 72 published in HISTORY OF WEST AFRICA Ed by Ajayi and Crowder, volume one page 196 – 263 Longman New York. Alagoa EJ EloingoLZ and M Metegue N’nah ( 1989)‘The niger delta and the cameroo region’ published in GENERAL HISTORY OF AFRICA VI Africa in he nineteenth century until the 1880s(Ed by JFA Ajayi)Heinemann California , Unesco. Thurstan Shaw (1976) “The prehistory of West Africa” published in “A HISTORY OF WEST AFRICA, volume one Longman New37 Dubois Opcit JOE Sagay (1982) the Warri Kingdom, Benin city Blake W. AFC Ryder Benin and the Europeans Talbot Pg. 319 opcit Conton Opcit Obaro Ikime Niger Delta Rivalries Oghanrandukun A.O. and Eyebira Agharawu (1988) Warri Crises in Diagram. Captain Leonard (1906). The lower Niger and its tribes, London. . H.LING ROTH GREAT BENIN honsbira and dr oritseweyinmi olomu for YAHS (Yoruba ancient history society)