The Itsekiri Grassroots Coalition (IGC), Sapele Chapter, has dismissed claims that a 1943 court judgment established exclusive Okpe ownership of Sapele, describing such interpretations as legally and historically inaccurate.

The position comes in response to recent comments by the Coordinator of the Okpe Union Worldwide Youth Wing, Dr. Ereseyin Idolor, who reportedly cited the 1943 West African Court of Appeal judgment in support of claims that Sapele belongs solely to the Okpe people.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Coordinator of the IGC, Sapele Chapter, Comrade Olayemi Uroye, argued that the judgment concerned only a specific parcel of land and did not determine ownership of the entire Sapele area.

“The 1943 West African Court of Appeal judgment concerned a specific parcel of land comprising approximately 510 acres, formerly known as Sapele Township, and did not adjudicate ownership over the entirety of present-day Sapele Local Government Area,” Uroye said.

He added that the ruling did not extinguish the historical or customary rights of other communities within the area, including the Itsekiri.

According to him, several Itsekiri communities, including Obotie, Ugbosien, Ogun-Aja-Ugbege, Aja-Imele, Aja-Ojigwo, Arowun, Ogorode, Uton-Iyatsere and Ugbekoko, have longstanding ancestral ties to Sapele and should not be regarded as settler communities.

“Expanding a decision concerning a defined area into a claim of ownership over all lands within Sapele is a misrepresentation of both the judgment and the doctrine of res judicata,” he stated.

The IGC also cited historical records which it said demonstrate an Itsekiri presence in and around Sapele dating back to the 19th century and earlier.

Referencing British colonial records, Uroye quoted British Vice-Consul Captain H.L. Gallwey as writing in 1893 that the Itsekiri people extended “inland about as far as Sapele.”

The coalition maintained that the Itsekiri are among the indigenous communities of Sapele and have contributed significantly to its historical development through commerce, fishing, navigation and settlement.

The group further expressed concern over ongoing discussions surrounding the restructuring and restoration of state constituencies, warning against any arrangement it believes could diminish the political representation of indigenous Itsekiri communities in Sapele. (The Nation)