As the one-month deadline for payment of the yearly one-pound tenancy levy to the Odion/Ogisi family by the Warri Urhobo expired last week, rights activist Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor has urged the Federal Government to prevail on the defendants to obey the 1927 and 1951 court judgements on the ownership of Warri to avert an impending crisis in the Oil City.

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

The Igba of the Warri Kingdom in Delta State said: “The Urhobo (Eyiekpimi, Okumagba families) have refused to pay the one-pound annual tenancy fee they were ordered to pay. They have also far exceeded the two plots originally allocated to them. Many people have been wondering what we would do now that the ultimatum has lapsed. Let us be clear: we have done what is necessary.”

She claimed: “The Ijaw have taken over the land of our ancestors. As we speak, Tompolo is purchasing large swathes of our territory. This will be challenged in court. But our hands are tied because Tompolo enjoys the full backing of the Federal Government. The government has, in effect, handed over our seacoast to him.

“The Itsekiri are primarily fishermen and traders. Most of our property lies on the waterways. Yet, we are under siege: the Urhobo are fighting us on land, and the Ijaw are fighting us on water. So we ask, sincerely: where do we go from here?

“We are calling on the Federal Government for protection. The government has handed us over to Tompolo—a non-state actor. Whatever people may say, we still have confidence in our courts.”

Our lawyers are currently working on two existing court judgments to guide our next line of action.”

The activist added: “And yet today, both the Urhobo and the Ijaw are aggressively claiming and occupying Itsekiri land. The Urhobo, whom we welcomed and granted farmland, have now taken our generosity for granted. The reason the Urhobo are acting the way they do is because they know that only the Itsekiri can stop their expansionist agenda. That is the uncomfortable truth.”

She concluded: “We are not calling for war. We are calling for justice. We are not demanding violence. We are demanding protection. We are not inciting tension. We are appealing for fairness.

“The Itsekiri people deserve peace, respect, and territorial integrity. We have done our part. Now, we call on the Nigerian government—and the world—to do theirs.” (The Guardian)