The Itsekiri Progress Club (IPC) says sustainable peace in Warri, Delta state, can only be achieved through justice, equity, and respect for established territorial boundaries.
Territorial disputes and the planned delineation of wards in the Warri federal constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have worsened the lingering conflict among Itsekiri, Urhobo and Ijaw communities in Delta state.
In a statement signed by Tosan Popo, IPC chairman, and Godwin Okotie, the secretary, the group said it welcomed the call for peace among traditional rulers in Warri by the Urhobo Renaissance Society (URS).
“We appreciate the Urhobo Renaissance Society’s appeal for peace among traditional rulers in Warri. Ordinarily, we would embrace this peace overture wholeheartedly. However, peace can only be achieved on the platform of equity and justice,” the statement reads.
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“Itsekiris will not cede an inch of our land ever again to any tribe in the name of peace. Let’s build a harmonious and prosperous Warri where justice reigns and no tribe is oppressed.”
The IPC said peace in the wider Warri area would only be possible if the concerned ethnic groups accept historical facts and revert to the original territorial boundaries as defined by the Delta state government and the Nigerian Boundary Commission.
“Brokering peace over a dinner table of injustice will be worse than the intended purpose,” the group warned, adding that “peace without justice means ignoring or glossing over important issues, which can lead to future conflicts.”
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Referring to the ethnic map of Delta state, the IPC said LGAs are demarcated along ethnic lines: three for the Ijaw (Burutu, Bomadi, Patani), eight for the Urhobo (including Uvwie, Sapele, Ughelli north and south), and three for the Itsekiri (Warri south, Warri north, and Warri south-west).
The group highlighted several judicial rulings affirming Itsekiri ownership of Warri and condemned attempts by other groups to annex its lands.
