LIB Reader: Emerging Facts About The Land Ownership Btw Ijaw/itsekiri
Over the past one month,there have been threats and
counter threats between the Ijaws and the Itsekiris over the
EPz project. Things went bad when even the president of the
federal republic of nigeria GEJ was barred by an individual
(tompolo) from commissioning the project until his side of
the bargain is met."suprisingly the president gave in to his
threats",that action/body language of the president and the
minister of petroleum resources(both ijaws) speaks
volumes.
It seems the tax payers money that is been spent on
amnesty program on the "militants" is a waste,cos the guns
are back in the creeks so are the so called "warlords"(laffs).
Now back to the crux of the ''mara'', the itsekiris claim the
location of the epz is wholly sited in 2400hectares in
OGIDIGBEN which ofcos is an itsekiri town and also the
deepsea port 300hectares is located 14km away in a town
called kpokpo which is also an itsekiri land,which was burnt
down by the ijaws during the warei ceises in 99'.tho the
ijaws also lay claim to this land(kpokpo).
The ijaws also claim the Epz project cuts across some their
communities which include oporaza,tebujor,zion, eta'l. but
these listed communities share no boundary whatsoever
with ogidigben,them one begins to wonder the 'origos' of
their claim.
QUESTION
Were is the ijaw evidence of the ownership of the said
portion of land,or are they poised to forement trouble giving
the fact that the president,petroleum minister,chief of army
staff are all from the ijaw stock?
The Itsekiris have already forwarded their claims to the
president, and a copy i will paste for all nairalanders to see,i
hope the president will borrow a leaf from late president
musa yaradua (rip) on the due process and thw rule of law.
Kpokpo is an Itsekiri settlement owned by the Ugborodo
community and its ownership has been settled judicially
in Suit Nos. MCC/4/71: GODSPOWER OKOTUROH (of
Ugborodo) (Itsekiri) vs. OGBABURO (Ijaw) and
MCC/37/71: GODSPOWER OKOTUROH (of Ugborodo)
(Itsekiri) vs. BURUTU (Ijaw) as belonging to the
Ugborodo people.
"The Ijaw of Gbaramatu Kingdom, wholly, live on lands
owned by the Itsekiri people of Omadino and Ugborodo
communities as customary tenants, as pronounced over
the years by courts of competent jurisdiction.
"In fact, Okerenghigho (now called Okerenkoko by the
Ijaw) on which the Marine Dockyard and the Maritime
University are built is on Omadino (Itsekiri) land. In
1962, the Itsekiri people of Omadino in Suit No.
W/30/1962: CHIEF E. E. SILLO & 2 ORS (for
themselves and on behalf of Omadino people) vs.
JAMES ULUBA & 2 ORS (for themselves and on behalf
of Okerenghigho people) sued for possession of title to
Okerenghigho, rents and injunction.
" In a judgment delivered on October 3, 1969, the court
entered judgment for the Itsekiri people of Omadino.
Part of the judgment reads: "I am satisfied that the
village land Okerenghigho which is the subject matter in
dispute in this case falls within the area described in the
claim in Suit No. W/29/51 in respect of which the then
Supreme Court (now High Court) declared Plaintiffs
(that is, Itsekiri people of Omadino) owners... Although
it will now be superfluous to grant a declaration of
possessory title of ownership to the plaintiffs, for the
avoidance of doubt, I hereby grant it as claimed in
respect of Okerenghigho...
"The Ijaw appeal to the Supreme Court in SC/294/70
was on January 31, 1973 dismissed by Elias C. J.,
Sowemimo and Ibekwe SC JJ.
"Oporoza, the headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom and
the seat of their warlord, is in Ugborodo (Itsekiri land)
The Ijaws settled there with the permission of the
Itsekiri people of Ugborodo. This was confirmed in Suit
No. W/124/76: BABINE EREKU & 3 ORS (for
themselves and on behalf of other members of the
Ugborodo Community) (Itsekiri) vs. OSUKE AKONU &
ORS. The Oboro, Gbajor and Nehi families of
Benikrukru, Gbaramatu (Ijaw) were the 2nd set of
defendants in the suit. On page 57 of the judgement, the
court held, inter-alia:
"I accept the evidence that Oboro, Gbajo and Nehi were
descendants of Fifowei, son of Osako (Ijaw) who
migrated from Gbaran less than 200 years ago and were
permitted by the Ugborodo (Itsekiri) people to settle at
Uton-Ima which they (Ijaw) later renamed Oporoza, on
condition of payments of tribute. I accept that the areas
they settled include Ubefan, Ajatiton, Uremure, Kpokpo
and Omidudun later renamed Benikrukru... I totally
reject the traditional history put forth by the second set
of defendants (the Ijaw) ytracing their descendants from
Ijo from the Middle East" (words in brackets, ours)".
counter threats between the Ijaws and the Itsekiris over the
EPz project. Things went bad when even the president of the
federal republic of nigeria GEJ was barred by an individual
(tompolo) from commissioning the project until his side of
the bargain is met."suprisingly the president gave in to his
threats",that action/body language of the president and the
minister of petroleum resources(both ijaws) speaks
volumes.
It seems the tax payers money that is been spent on
amnesty program on the "militants" is a waste,cos the guns
are back in the creeks so are the so called "warlords"(laffs).
Now back to the crux of the ''mara'', the itsekiris claim the
location of the epz is wholly sited in 2400hectares in
OGIDIGBEN which ofcos is an itsekiri town and also the
deepsea port 300hectares is located 14km away in a town
called kpokpo which is also an itsekiri land,which was burnt
down by the ijaws during the warei ceises in 99'.tho the
ijaws also lay claim to this land(kpokpo).
The ijaws also claim the Epz project cuts across some their
communities which include oporaza,tebujor,zion, eta'l. but
these listed communities share no boundary whatsoever
with ogidigben,them one begins to wonder the 'origos' of
their claim.
QUESTION
Were is the ijaw evidence of the ownership of the said
portion of land,or are they poised to forement trouble giving
the fact that the president,petroleum minister,chief of army
staff are all from the ijaw stock?
The Itsekiris have already forwarded their claims to the
president, and a copy i will paste for all nairalanders to see,i
hope the president will borrow a leaf from late president
musa yaradua (rip) on the due process and thw rule of law.
Kpokpo is an Itsekiri settlement owned by the Ugborodo
community and its ownership has been settled judicially
in Suit Nos. MCC/4/71: GODSPOWER OKOTUROH (of
Ugborodo) (Itsekiri) vs. OGBABURO (Ijaw) and
MCC/37/71: GODSPOWER OKOTUROH (of Ugborodo)
(Itsekiri) vs. BURUTU (Ijaw) as belonging to the
Ugborodo people.
"The Ijaw of Gbaramatu Kingdom, wholly, live on lands
owned by the Itsekiri people of Omadino and Ugborodo
communities as customary tenants, as pronounced over
the years by courts of competent jurisdiction.
"In fact, Okerenghigho (now called Okerenkoko by the
Ijaw) on which the Marine Dockyard and the Maritime
University are built is on Omadino (Itsekiri) land. In
1962, the Itsekiri people of Omadino in Suit No.
W/30/1962: CHIEF E. E. SILLO & 2 ORS (for
themselves and on behalf of Omadino people) vs.
JAMES ULUBA & 2 ORS (for themselves and on behalf
of Okerenghigho people) sued for possession of title to
Okerenghigho, rents and injunction.
" In a judgment delivered on October 3, 1969, the court
entered judgment for the Itsekiri people of Omadino.
Part of the judgment reads: "I am satisfied that the
village land Okerenghigho which is the subject matter in
dispute in this case falls within the area described in the
claim in Suit No. W/29/51 in respect of which the then
Supreme Court (now High Court) declared Plaintiffs
(that is, Itsekiri people of Omadino) owners... Although
it will now be superfluous to grant a declaration of
possessory title of ownership to the plaintiffs, for the
avoidance of doubt, I hereby grant it as claimed in
respect of Okerenghigho...
"The Ijaw appeal to the Supreme Court in SC/294/70
was on January 31, 1973 dismissed by Elias C. J.,
Sowemimo and Ibekwe SC JJ.
"Oporoza, the headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom and
the seat of their warlord, is in Ugborodo (Itsekiri land)
The Ijaws settled there with the permission of the
Itsekiri people of Ugborodo. This was confirmed in Suit
No. W/124/76: BABINE EREKU & 3 ORS (for
themselves and on behalf of other members of the
Ugborodo Community) (Itsekiri) vs. OSUKE AKONU &
ORS. The Oboro, Gbajor and Nehi families of
Benikrukru, Gbaramatu (Ijaw) were the 2nd set of
defendants in the suit. On page 57 of the judgement, the
court held, inter-alia:
"I accept the evidence that Oboro, Gbajo and Nehi were
descendants of Fifowei, son of Osako (Ijaw) who
migrated from Gbaran less than 200 years ago and were
permitted by the Ugborodo (Itsekiri) people to settle at
Uton-Ima which they (Ijaw) later renamed Oporoza, on
condition of payments of tribute. I accept that the areas
they settled include Ubefan, Ajatiton, Uremure, Kpokpo
and Omidudun later renamed Benikrukru... I totally
reject the traditional history put forth by the second set
of defendants (the Ijaw) ytracing their descendants from
Ijo from the Middle East" (words in brackets, ours)".
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