- IYC Gbaramatu Women Clan says Itsekiri land claims contradict historical records and ancestral accounts.
- Group insists Ode-Itsekiri, Sarabubo and surrounding territories are indigenous Ijaw communities.
- Ijaw women urge INEC to publish final delineation results, say delays fuel ethnic tension.
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Gbaramatu Women Clan has challenged what it described as repeated attempts by the Itsekiri ethnic group to alter historical ownership of several disputed communities in Warri.
The group made the claim during a press conference on Monday, led by spokesperson Sonya James Afiyagba Agbunaese, who identified herself as a direct descendant of the Gbaramatu royal lineage.
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Agbunaese said available colonial records, oral histories and early community accounts place the Ijaw as the first settlers in the Warri axis, long before the formal emergence of the Itsekiri identity.
She alleged that the Itsekiri migrated into the region from Benin and were initially accommodated by Ijaw communities, describing their later land ownership claims as “historically inaccurate.”
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She maintained that Ode-Itsekiri, the traditional headquarters of the Itsekiri Nation, was originally known as Okotomu, a settlement she said was founded by an Ogbe-Ijoh ancestor. According to her, the Itsekiri occupation of the area evolved from “tenancy rather than ancestral ownership.”
Agbunaese further asserted that Sarabubo community and adjoining territories have remained part of Gbaramatu land for centuries. She referenced historical transitions from the Gulf Oil and Chevron eras to the construction of the EGTL facility, noting that traditional custodianship of Sarabubowei has consistently remained within the Agbunaese family lineage.
The IYC Women Clan accused the Itsekiri of altering maps, renaming longstanding Ijaw villages and projecting narratives that create tension in Warri. The group warned that such disputes risk escalating at a time when the country faces rising insecurity.
Agbunaese called on the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately release the final delineation results, insisting that the document reflects the true demographic and territorial realities in the affected communities.
She alleged that opposition to the publication stems from fears that the findings would undermine Itsekiri claims.
The group reaffirmed its commitment to peace but vowed to resist any attempt to “rewrite history or dispossess Ijaw communities.”
“This remains the position of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Gbaramatu Clan,” Agbunaese said.
