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Gbaramatu traditional council warns of planned attacks on Ikantu, Ijaghala
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Accuses Warri traditional ruler of gun running, demands probe
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Urges FG, Delta govt to act fast as tensions escalate over land, identity
The traditional council of the Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West, Delta State, has raised alarm over what it described as grave threats to the lives of residents and leaders of two Ijaw communities — Ikantu (also known as Kantu) and Ijaghala (Zou-ala Uba).
At a press conference held on Monday, June 16, in Warri, the Fiyewei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, High Chief Godspower Gbenekama, said the kingdom had received repeated calls and reports alleging plans to “evacuate and kill” people from the communities, allegedly orchestrated by certain Itsekiri actors.
“The people of Kantu and Ijaghala have decided to identify with their true Ijaw ancestry. But now they are being threatened for simply choosing to associate with their Gbaramatu roots,” Gbenekama said.
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The Gbaramatu council said these threats were not only unjustified but dangerous, warning that any attempt to attack the two Ijaw communities would be “vehemently resisted.”
High Chief Gbenekama reaffirmed that the Ijaw people would never cede any part of their ancestral land to what he described as “Itsekiri migrants.”
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“If they don’t know their origin, they should go and ask their fathers. And if their fathers are dead, let them exhume their remains and seek answers. This is not the time for ignorance,” he said, in a direct warning to those issuing the threats.
He further accused Itsekiri groups of glorifying themselves with what he called “expired lies” and challenged their claims to Ijaw ancestral lands such as Ijaghala, Kantu, Omadinor, and Obodo.
The council also condemned the recent killing of a prominent Gbaramatu Ijaw son in Tebijor community, stating that such incidents must never be repeated.
In a grave allegation, the Gbaramatu leaders called on the federal government to investigate the traditional ruler of Warri, accusing him of illegal arms possession and gun running with the intent to launch attacks against Ijaw communities in the Warri federal constituency.
They also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to complete the stalled delineation exercise in Warri, arguing that the process has been deliberately delayed despite peace in the area.
